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with  care. 

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jeoition  De  Xiiie 

LIMITKD  TO  SEVEN  HUNDRED  AND  FIFTY  COriES 
PKIVATRIA'    PRINTED    FOR    MEMBERS   OK 

Xlbe  Scott  Society 


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TALES  OF  MY  LANDLORD. 


XLbivt)  Scries. 

Hear,  Land  o'  Cakes  and  brither  Scots, 
Frae  Maidenkirk  to  Johnny  Groat's, 
If  there's  a  hole  in  a'  your  coats, 

I  rede  ye  tent  it ; 
A  chiel's  amang  you  takin'  notes, 

An'  faith  he'll  prent  it! 

BUKNS. 


r^ 


Ahora  Men,  dixo  il  Cura,  traedme,  senor  huesped,  aqiiesos  lihros,  que  los  quiero 
ver.  Que  me  place,  respondio  el,  y  entrando  ed  su  aposento,  sac6  del  una  male- 
tilla  vieja  cerrada  con  una  cadenilla,  y  abriendola  hallo  en  ella  tres  lihros  gran- 
des  y  imos  papeles  de  muy  buena  letra  escritos  de  mano. — Don  Quixote,  Parte 
I.  Capitulo  xxxii. 

It  is  mighty  well,  said  the  priest ;  pray,  landlord,  bring  me  those  books, 
for  I  have  a  mind  to  see  them.  With  all  my  heart,  answered  the  host ;  and 
sjoing  to  his  chamber,  he  brought  out  a  little  old  cloke-bag,  with  a  padlock 
and  chain  to  it,  and  opening  it,  he  took  out  three  large  volumes,  and  some 
manuscript  papers  w^ritten  in  a  fine  character. — Jarvis's  Translation. 


INTRODUCTION 

TO 

THE   BRIDE    OF   LAMMEEMOOE, 


The  Author,  on  a  former  occasion, '  declined  giving  the  real 
source  from  which  he  drew  the  tragic  subject  of  this  history, 
because,  though  occurring  at  a  distant  period,  it  might  possi- 
bly be  unpleasing  to  the  feelings  of  the  descendants  of  the 
parties."  But  as  he  finds  an  account  of  the  circumstances 
given  m  the  Notes  to  Law's  Hemorials,''  by  his  ingenious 
friend,  Charles  Kirkpatrick  Sharpe,  Esq.,  and  also  indicated 
in  his  reprint  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Symson's  poems  appended  to 
the  Large  Description  of  Galloway,  as  the  original  of  the  Bride 
of  Lammermoor,  the  Author  feels  himself  now  at  liberty  to  tell 
the  tale  as  he  had  it  from  connexions  of  his  own,  who  lived 
very  near  the  period,  and  were  closely  related  to  the  family  of 
the  bride. 

It  is  well  known  that  the  family  of  Dalrymple,  which  has 
produced,  within  the  space  of  two  centuries,  as  many  men  of 
talent,  civil  and  military,  and  of  literary,  political,  and  pro- 
fessional eminence,  as  any  house  in  Scotland,  first  rose  into 
distinction  in  the  person  of  James  Dalrymple,  one  of  the  most 
eminent  lawyers  that  ever  lived,  though  the  labours  of  his 
powerful  mind  were  unhappily  exercised  on  a  subject  so  lim- 
ited as  Scottish  jurisprudence,  on  which  he  has  composed  an 
admirable  work. 

He  married  Margaret,  daughter  to  Ross  of  Balneel,  with 
whom  he  obtained  a  considerable  estate.  She  was  an  able, 
politic,  and  high-minded  woman,  so  successful  in  what  she 

'  See  Introduction  to  the  Chronicles  of  the  Canongate. 

2  See  The  Family  of  Stair.    Note  1.  ^  Law's  Memorials,  p.  226. 


8  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

undertook,  that  the  vulgar,  no  way  partial  to  her  husband  or 
her  family,  imputed  her  success  to  necromancy.  According 
to  the  popular  belief,  this  Dame  Margaret  purchased  the  tem- 
poral prosperity  of  her  family  from  the  Master  whom  she  served 
under  a  singular  condition,  which  is  thus  narrated  by  the  his- 
torian of  her  grandson,  the  great  Earl  of  Stair :  "  She  lived 
to  a  great  age,  and  at  her  death  desired  that  she  might  not  be 
put  under  ground,  but  that  her  coffin  should  stand  upright  on 
one  end  of  it,  promising  that  while  she  remained  in  that  situ- 
ation the  Dalrymples  should  continue  to  flourish.  What  was 
the  old  lady's  motive  for  the  request,  or  whether  she  really 
made  such  a  promise,  I  shall  not  take  upon  me  to  determine; 
but  it's  certain  her  coffin  stands  upright  in  the  isle  of  the 
church  of  Kirklistown,  the  burial-place  belonging  to  the  fam- 
ily."' The  talents  of  this  accomplished  race  were  sufficient 
to  have  accounted  for  the  dignities  which  many  members  of 
the  family  attained,  without  any  supernatural  assistance.  But 
their  extraordinary  prosperity  was  attended  by  some  equally 
singular  family  misfortunes,  of  which  that  which  befell  their 
eldest  daughter  was  at  once  unaccountable  and  melancholy. 

Miss  Janet  Dalrymple,  daughter  of  the  first  Lord  Stair  and 
Dame  Margaret  Ross,  had  engaged  herself  without  the  knowl- 
edge of  her  parents  to  the  Lord  Rutherford,  who  was  not  ac- 
ceptable to  them  either  on  account  of  his  political  principles 
or  his  want  of  fortune.  The  young  couple  broke  a  piece  of 
gold  together,  and  pledged  their  troth  in  the  most  solemn 
manner;  and  it  is  said  the  young  lady  imprecated  dreadful 
evils  on  herself  should  she  break  her  plighted  faith.  Shortly 
after,  a  suitor  who  was  favoured  by  Lord  Stair,  and  still  more 
so  by  his  lady,  paid  his  addresses  to  Miss  Dalrymple.  The 
young  lady  refused  the  proposal,  and  being  pressed  on  the 
subject,  confessed  her  secret  engagement.  Lady  Stair,  a  wom- 
an accustomed  to  universal  submission,  for  even  her  husband 
did  not  dare  to  contradict  her,  treated  this  objection  as  a  trifle, 
and  insisted  upon  her  daughter  yielding  her  consent  to  marry 
the  new  suitor,  David  Dunbar,  son  and  heir  to  David  Dunbar 

'  Memoirs  of  John  Earl  of  Stair,  by  an  Impartial  Hand.  London,  printed 
for  C.  Corbett,  p.  8. 


INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.        9 

of  Baldoon,  iu  Wigtonshire.  The  first  lover,  a  man  of  very 
high  spirit,  then  interfered  by  letter,  and  insisted  on  the  right 
he  had  acquired  by  his  troth  plighted  with  the  young  lady. 
Lady  Stair  sent  him  for  answer,  that  her  daughter,  sensible 
of  her  undutiful  behaviour  in  entering  into  a  contract  unsanc- 
tioned by  her  parents,  had  retracted  her  unlawful  vow,  and 
now  refused  to  fulfil  her  engagement  with  him. 

The  lover,  in  return,  declined  positively  to  receive  such  an 
answer  from  any  one  but  his  mistress  in  person ;  and  as  she 
had  to  deal  with  a  man  who  was  both  of  a  most  determined 
character  and  of  too  high  condition  to  be  trifled  with.  Lady 
Stair  was  obliged  to  consent  to  an  interview  between  Lord 
Rutherford  and  her  daughter.  But  she  took  care  to  be  pres- 
ent in  person,  and  argued  the  point  with  the  disappointed  and 
incensed  lover  with  pertinacity  equal  to  his  own.  She  partic- 
ularly insisted  on  the  Levitical  law,  which  declares  that  a 
woman  shall  be  free  of  a  vow  which  her  parents  dissent  from. 
This  is  the  passage  of  Scripture  she  founded  on : 

"  If  a  man  vow  a  vow  unto  the  Lord,  or  swear  an  oath  to 
bind  his  soul  with  a  bond;  he  shall  not  break  his  word,  he 
shall  do  according  to  all  that  proceedeth  out  of  his  mouth. 

"  If  a  woman  also  vow  a  vow  unto  the  Lord,  and  bind  her- 
self by  a  bond,  being  in  her  father's  house  in  her  youth; 

"  And  her  father  hear  her  vow,  and  her  bond  wherewith  she 
hath  bound  her  soul,  and  her  father  shall  hold  his  peace  at 
her :  then  all  her  vows  shall  stand,  and  every  bond  wherewith 
she  hath  bound  her  soul  shall  stand. 

"  But  if  her  father  disallow  her  in  the  day  that  he  heareth ; 
not  any  of  her  vows,  or  of  her  bonds  wherewith  she  hath  bound 
her  soul,  shall  stand :  and  the  Lord  shall  forgive  her,  because 
her  father  disallowed  her." — Numbers  xxx.  2-5. 

While  the  mother  insisted  on  these  topics,  the  lover  in  vain 
conjured  the  daughter  to  declare  her  own  opinion  and  feelings. 
She  remained  totally  overwhelmed,  as  it  seemed — mute,  pale, 
and  motionless  as  a  statue.  Only  at  her  mother's  command, 
sternly  uttered,  she  summoned  strength  enough  to.  restore  to 
her  plighted  suitor  the  piece  of  broken  gold  which  was  the 
emblem  of  her  troth.     On  this  he  burst  forth  into  a  tremen- 


10  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

dous  passion,  took  leave  of  the  mother  with  maledictions,  and 
as  he  left  the  apartment,  turned  back  to  say  to  his  weak,  if 
not  fickle,  mistress:  "For  you,  madam,  you  will  be  a  world's 
wonder" ;  a  phrase  by  which  some  remarkable  degree  of  ca- 
lamity is  usually  implied.  He  went  abroad,  and  returned  not 
again.  If  the  last  Lord  Eutherford  was  the  unfortunate  party, 
he  must  have  been  the  third  who  bore  that  title,  and  who  died 
in  1685. 

The  marriage  betwixt  Janet  Dalrymple  and  David  Dunbar 
of  Baldoon  now  went  forward,  the  bride  showing  no  repug- 
nance, but  being  absolutely  passive  in  everything  her  mother 
commanded  or  advised.  On  the  day  of  the  marriage,  which, 
as  was  then  usual,  Avas  celebrated  by  a  great  assemblage  of 
friends  and  relations,  she  was  the  same — sad,  silent,  and  re- 
signed, as  it  seemed,  to  her  destiny.  A  lady,  very  nearly 
connected  with  the  family,  told  the  Author  that  she  had  con- 
versed on  the  subject  with  one  of  the  brothers  of  the  bride,  a 
mere  lad  at  the  time,  who  had  ridden  before  his  sister  to 
church.  He  said  her  hand,  which  lay  on  his  as  she  held  her 
arm  round  his  waist,  was  as  cold  and  damp  as  marble.  But, 
full  of  his  new  dress  and  the  part  he  acted  in  the  procession, 
the  circumstance,  which  he  long  afterwards  remembered  with 
bitter  sorrow  and  compunction,  made  no  impression  on  him  at 
the  time. 

The  bridal  feast  was  followed  by  dancing.  The  bride  and 
bridegroom  retired  as  usual,  when  of  a  sudden  the  most  wild 
and  piercing  cries  were  heard  from  the  nuptial  chamber.  It 
was  then  the  custom,  to  prevent  any  coarse  pleasantry  which 
old  times  perhaps  admitted,  that  the  key  of  the  nuptial  cham- 
ber should  be  entrusted  to  the  bridesman.  He  was  called 
upon,  but  refused  at  first  to  give  it  up,  till  the  shrieks  became 
so  hideous  that  he  was  compelled  to  hasten  with  others  to  learn 
the  cause.  On  opening  the  door,  they  found  the  bridegroom 
lying  across  the  threshold,  dreadfully  wounded,  and  streaming 
with  blood.  The  bride  was  then  sought  for.  She  was  found 
in  the  corner  of  the  large  chimney,  having  no  covering  save 
her  shift,  and  that  dabbled  in  gore.  There  she  sat  grinning 
at  them,    mopping   and  mowing,   as  I  heard  the  expression 


INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.      H 

used  J  in  a  word,  absolutely  insane.  The  only  words  she 
spoke  were,  "  Tak  up  your  bonny  bridegroom."  She  survived 
this  horrible  scene  little  more  than  a  fortnight,  having  been 
married  on  the  24th  of  August,  and  dying  on  the  12th  of  Sep- 
tember 1669. 

The  unfortunate  Baldoon  recovered  from  his  wounds,  but 
sternly  prohibited  all  inquiries  respecting  the  manner  in  which 
he  had  received  them.  "  If  a  lady,"  he  said,  "  asked  him  any 
question  upon  the  subject,  he  would  neither  answer  her  nor 
speak  to  her  again  while  he  lived;  if  a  gentleman,  he  w^ould 
consider  it  as  a  mortal  affront,  and  demand  satisfaction  as 
having  received  such."  He  did  not  very  long  survive  the 
dreadful  catastrophe,  having  met  with  a  fatal  injury  by  a  fall 
from  his  horse,  as  he  rode  between  Leith  and  Holyrood  House, 
of  which  he  died  the  next  day,  28  th  March  1682.  Thus  a  few 
years  removed  all  the  principal  actors  in  this  frightful  tragedy. 

Various  reports  went  abroad  on  this  mysterious  affair,  many 
of  them  very  inaccurate,  though  they  could  hardly  be  said  to 
be  exaggerated. '  It  was  difficult  at  that  time  to  become  ac- 
quainted with  the  history  of  a  Scottish  family  above  the  lower 
rank;  and  strange  things  sometimes  took  place  there,  into 
which  even  the  law  did  not  scrupulously  inquire. 

The  credulous  Mr.  Law  says,  generally,  that  the  Lord  Presi- 
dent Stair  had  a  daughter,  who,  "  being  married,  the  night  she 
was  bride  in,  was  taken  from  her  bridegroom  and  harled 
through  the  house  (by  spirits,  we  are  given  to  understand) 
and  afterward  died.  Another  daughter, "  he  says,  "  was  sup- 
posed to  be  possessed  with  an  evil  spirit." 

My  friend,  Mr.  Sharpe,  gives  another  edition  of  the  tale. 
According  to  his  information,  it  was  the  bridegroom  who 
wounded  the  bride.     The  marriage,  according  to  this  account, 

'  There  appeared  in  the  Edinburgh  Evening  Post  of  Oct.  10,  1840  (and  af- 
terwards in  the  Lices  of  the  Lindsays,  p.  459),  a  letter  dated  September  5th, 
1823,  addressed  by  Sir  C.  Home  Dairy mple  Elphinstone,  Bart.,  to  the  late 
Sir  James  Stewart  Denham  of  Joltness,  Bart.,  both  descendants  of  Lord 
President  Stair,  from  which  it  appears  that,  according  to  the  traditional 
creed  ot  the  Dairy  mple  family,  the  bride's  unhappy  lover.  Lord  Ruther- 
ford, had  found  means  to  be  secreted  in  the  nuptial  chamber,  and  that  the 
wound  of  the  bridegroom,  Sir  David  Dunbar  of  Baldoon,  was  inflicted  by 
Rutherford's  hand. — J.  G.  Lockhart. 


12  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

had  been  against  her  mother's  inclination,  who  had  given  her 
consent  in  these  ominous  words :  "  Weel,  you  may  marry  him, 
but  sair  shall  you  repent  it." 

I  find  still  another  account  darkly  insinuated  in  some  highly 
scurrilous  and  abusive  verses,  of  which  I  have  an  original  copy. 
They  are  docketed  as  being  written  ''  Upon  the  late  Yiscount 
Stair  and  his  family,  by  Sir  William  Hamilton  of  Whitelaw. 
The  marginals  by  William  Dunlop,  writer  in  Edinburgh,  a 
son  of  the  Laird  of  Househill,  and  nephew  to  the  said  Sir 
William  Hamilton."  There  was  a  bitter  and  personal  quarrel 
and  rivalry  betwixt  the  author  of  this  libel,  a  name  which  it 
richly  deserves,  and  Lord  President  Stair ;  and  the  lampoon, 
which  is  written  with  much  more  malice  than  art,  bears  the 
following  motto : 

Stair's  neck,  mind,  wife,    sons,   grandson,  and  the  rest, 
Are     wry,   false,  witch,  pests,  parricide,      possessed. 

This  malignant  satirist,  who  calls  up  all  the  misfortunes  of 
the  family,  does  not  forget  the  fatal  bridal  of  Baldoon.  He 
seems,  though  his  verses  are  as  obscure  as  unpoetical,  to  inti- 
mate that  the  violence  done  to  the  bridegroom  was  by  the 
intervention  of  the  foul  fiend,  to  whom  the  young  lady  had  re- 
signed herself,  in  case  she  should  break  her  contract  with  hei 
first  lover.  His  hypothesis  is  inconsistent  with  the  account 
given  in  the  note  upon  Law's  Memorials,  but  easily  reconcil- 
able to  the  family  tradition. 

In  all  Stair's  offspring  we  no  difference  know, 

They  do  the  females  as  the  males  bestow  ; 

So  he  of  one  of  his  daughters'  marriage  gave  the  ward, 

Like  a  true  vassal,  to  Glenluce's  Laird  ; 

He  knew  what  she  did  to  her  master  plight, 

If  she  her  faith  to  Rutherfurd  should  slight, 

Which,  like  his  own,  for  greed  he  broke  outright. 

Nick  did  Baldoon's  posterior  right  deride, 

And,  as  first  substitute,  did  seize  the  bride  ; 

Whate'er  he  to  his  mistress  did  or  said. 

He  threw  the  bridegroom  from  the  nuptial  bed, 

Into  the  chimney  did  so  his  rival  maul. 

His  bruised  bones  ne'er  were  cured  but  by  the  fall.^ 

One  of  the  marginal  notes  ascribed  to  William  Dunlop  ap- 
'  The  fall  from  his  horse,  by  which  he  was  killed. 


mXRODUCTION  TO  THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.      13 

plies  to  the  above  lines.  "  She  had  betrothed  herself  to  Lord 
Rutherfoord  under  horrid  imprecations,  and  afterwards  mar- 
ried Baldoon,  his  nevoy,  and  her  mother  was  the  cause  of  her 
breach  of  faith." 

The  same  tragedy  is  alluded  to  in  the  following  couplet  and 
note: 

What  train  of  curses  that  base  brood  pursues, 
hen  the  young  nephew  weds  old  uncle's  spouse. 

The  note  on  the  word  "uncle"  explains  it  as  meaning 
"  Rutherf oord,  who  should  have  married  the  Lady  Baldoon, 
was  Baldoon's  uncle."  The  poetry  of  this  satire  on  Lord 
Stair  and  his  family  was,  as  already  noticed,  written  by  Sir 
William  Hamilton  of  Whitelaw,  a  rival  of  Lord  Stair  for  the 
situation  of  President  of  the  Court  of  Session ;  a  person  much 
inferior  to  that  great  lawyer  in  talents,  and  equally  ill-treated 
by  the  calumny  or  just  satire  of  his  contemporaries  as  an  un- 
just and  partial  judge.  Some  of  the  notes  are  by  that  curious 
and  laborious  antiquary,  Robert  Milne,  who,  as  a  virulent  Jac- 
obite, willingly  lent  a  hand  to  blacken  the  family  of  Stair.  ^ 

Another  poet  of  the  period,  with  a  very  different  purpose, 
has  left  an  elegy,  in  which  he  darkly  hints  at  and  bemoans  the 
fate  of  the  ill-starred  young  person,  whose  very  uncommon 
calamity  Whitelaw,  Dunlop,  and  Milne  thought  a  fitting  sub- 
ject for  buffoonery  and  ribaldry.  This  bard  of  milder  mood 
was  Andrew  Symson,  before  the  Revolution  minister  of  Kirk- 
inner,  in  Galloway,  and  after  his  expulsion  as  an  Episcopa- 
lian following  the  humble  occupation  of  a  printer  in  Edinburgh. 
He  furnished  the  family  of  Baldoon,  with  which  he  appears  to 
have  been  intimate,  with  an  elegy  on  the  tragic  event  in  their 
family.  In  this  piece  he  treats  the  mournful  occasion  of  the 
bride's  death  with  mysterious  solemnity. 

The  verses  bear  this  title,  "  On  the  unexpected  death  of  the 
virtuous  Lady  Mrs.  Janet  Dalrymple,  Lady  Baldoon,  younger," 

^  I  have  compared  the  satire,  which  occurs  in  the  first  volume  of  the 
curious  little  collection  called  a  Book  of  Scottish  Pasquils,  1827,  with  that 
which  has  a  more  full  text  and  more  extended  notes,  and  which  is  in  my 
own  DO'^session,  by  srift  of  Thomas  Thomson.  E«o..  Re^istpv-Dppute.  In 
the  Book  of  Pnsqnih,  p.  72,  is  a  most  abusive  epitaph  on  Sir  William  Ham- 
ilton of  Whitelaw. 


14  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

and  afford  us  the  precise  dates  of  the  catastrophe,  which  could 
not  otherwise  have  been  easily  ascertained.  "  Nupta  August 
12.  Domum  Ducta  August  24.  Obiit  September  12.  Se- 
pult.  September  30,  1669."  The  form  of  the  elegy  is  a  dia- 
logue betwixt  a  passenger  and  a  domestic  servant.  The  first, 
recollecting  that  he  had  passed  that  way  lately,  and  seen  all 
around  enlivened  by  the  appearances  of  mirth  and  festivity,  is 
desirous  to  know  what  had  changed  so  gay  a  scene  into  mourn- 
ing. We  preserve  the  reply  of  the  servant  as  a  specimen  of 
Mr.  Symson's  verses,  which  are  not  of  the  first  quality: 

Sir,  'tis  truth  you've  told. 
We  did  enjoy  great  mirth  ;  but  now,  ah  me ! 
Our  joyful  song's  turn'd  to  an  elegie. 
A  virtuous  lady,  not  long  since  a  bride, 
Was  to  a  hopeful  plant  by  marriage  tied, 
And  brought  home  hither.     We  did  all  rejoice, 
Even  for  her  sake.     But  presently  our  voice 
Was  turn'd  to  mourning  for  that  little  time 
That  she'd  enjoy  :  she  waned  in  her  prime, 
For  Atropus,  with  her  impartial  knife. 
Soon  cut  her  thread,  and  therewithal  her  life  ; 
And  for  the  time  we  may  it  well  remember. 
It  being  in  unfortunate  September  ; 

Where  we  must  leave  her  till  the  resurrection, 
'Tis  then  the  Saints  enjoy  their  full  perfection.* 

Mr.  Symson  also  poured  forth  his  elegiac  strains  upon  the 
fate  of  the  widowed  bridegroom,  on  which  subject,  after  a 
long  and  querulous  effusion,  the  poet  arrives  at  the  sound  con- 
clusion, that  if  Baldoon  had  walked  on  foot,  which  it  seems 
was  his  general  custom,  he  would  have  escaped  perishing  by 
a  fall  from  horseback.  As  the  work  in  which  it  occurs  is  so 
scarce  as  almost  to  be  unique,  and  as  it  gives  us  the  most  full 
account  of  one  of  the  actors  in  this  tragic  tale  which  we  have 
rehearsed,  we  will,  at  the  risk  of  being  tedious,  insert  some 
short  specimens  of  Mr.  Symson's  composition.     It  is  entitled: 

*  This  elegy  is  reprinted  in  the  appendix  to  a  topographical  work  by  the 
same  author,  entitled  A  Large  Description  of  Galloivay,  by  Andrew  Symson, 
Minister  of  Kirkinner,  Hvo,  Tait,  Edinburgh,  1823.  The  reverend  gentle- 
man's elegies  are  extremely  rare,  nor  did  the  Author  ever  see  a  copy  but 
his  own,  which  is  bound  up  with  the  Tripafriarchicon,  a  religious  poem 
from  the  Biblical  History,  by  the  same  author. 


INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.      15 

"  A  Funeral  Elegie,  occasioned  by  the  sad  and  much  la- 
mented death  of  that  worthily  respected,  and  very  much  ac- 
complished gentleman,  David  Dunbar,  younger,  of  Baldoon, 
only  son  and  apparent  heir  to  the  right  worshipful  Sir  David 
Dunbar  of  Baldoon,  Knight  Baronet.  He  departed  this  life 
on  March  28,  1682,  having  received  a  bruise  by  a  fall,  as  he 
was  riding  the  day  preceding  betwixt  Leith  and  Holyrood 
House ;  and  was  honourably  interred  in  the  Abbey  Church  of 
Holyrood  House,  on  April  4,  1682." 

Men  might,  and  very  justly  too,  conclude 

Me  guilty  of  the  worst  ingratitude, 

Should  I  be  silent,  or  should  I  forbear 

At  this  sad  accident  to  shed  a  tear  ; 

A  tear  !  said  I?    ah  !  that's  a  petit  thing, 

A  very  lean,  slight,  slender  offering. 

Too  mean,  I'm  sure,  for  me,  wherewith  t' attend 

The  unexpected  funeral  of  my  friend  : 

A  glass  of  briny  tears  charged  up  to  th'  brim. 

Would  be  too  few  for  me  to  shed  for  him. 

The  poet  proceeds  to  state  his  intimacy  with  the  deceased, 
and  the  constancy  of  the  young  man's  attendance  on  public 
worship,  which  was  regular,  and  had  such  effect  upon  two  or 
three  others  that  were  influenced  by  his  example : 

So  that  my  Muse  'gainst  Priscian  avers, 
He,  only  he,  were  my  parishioners  ; 
Yea.  and  my  only  hearers. 

He  then  describes  the  deceased  in  person  and  manners,  from 
which  it  appears  that  more  accomplishments  were  expected  in 
the  composition  of  a  fine  gentleman  in  ancient  than  modern 
times : 

His  body,  though  not  very  large  or  tall. 

Was  sprightly,  active,  yea  and  strong  withal. 

His  constitution  was,  if  right  I've  guess'd. 

Blood  mixt  with  choler,  said  to  be  the  best. 

In's  gesture,  converse,  speech,  discourse,  attire, 

He  practis'd  that  which  wise  men  still  admire. 

Commend,  and  recommend.     What's  that?  you'll  say. 

'Tis  this  :  he  ever  choos'd  the  middle  way 

'Twixt  both  th'  extremes.     Amost  in  ev'ry  thing 

He  did  the  like,  'tis  worth  our  noticing  : 

Sparing,  yet  not  a  niggard  ;  liberal, 

And  yet  not  lavish  or  a  prodigal, 


16  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

As  knowing  when  to  spend  and  when  to  spare ; 

And  that's  a  lesson  which  not  many  are 

Acquainted  with.     He  bashful  was,  yet  daring 

When  he  saw  cause,  and  yet  therein  but  sparing  ; 

Familiar,  yet  not  common,  for  he  knew 

To  condescend,  and  keep  his  distance  too. 

He  us'd,  and  that  most  commonly,  to  go 

On  foot ;  I  wish  that  he  had  still  done  so. 

Th'  affairs  of  court  were  unto  him  well  known  ; 

And  yet  meanwhile  he  slighted  not  his  own. 

He  knew  full  well  how  to  behave  at  court, 

And  yet  but  seldom  did  thereto  resort ; 

But  lov'd  the  country  life,  choos'd  to  inure 

Himself  to  past' rage  and  agriculture  ; 

Proving,  improving,  ditching,  trenching,  draining, 

Viewing,  reviewing,  and  by  those  means  gaining ; 

Planting,  transplanting,  levelling,  erecting 

Walls,  chambers,  houses,  terraces ;  projecting 

Now  this,  now  that  device,  this  draught,  that  measure, 

That  might  advance  his  profit  with  his  pleasure. 

Quick  in  his  bargains,  honest  in  commerce, 

Just  in  his  dealings,  being  much  averse 

From  quirks  of  law,  still  ready  to  refer 

His  cause  t'  an  honest  country  arbiter. 

He  was  acquainted  with  cosmography, 

Arithmetic,  and  modern  history  ; 

With  architecture  and  such  arts  as  these. 

Which  I  may  call  specifick  sciences 

Fit  for  a  gentleman  ;  and  surely  he 

That  knows  them  not,  at  least  in  some  degree, 

May  brook  the  title,  but  he  wants  the  thing, 

Is  but  a  shadow  scarce  worth  noticing. 

He  learned  the  French,  be't  spoken  to  his  praise. 

In  very  little  more  than  fourty  days." 

Then  comes  the  full  burst  of  woe,  in  which,  instead  of  say- 
ing much  himself,  the  poet  informs  us  what  the  ancients  would 
have  said  on  such  an  occasion : 

A  heathen  poet,  at  the  news,  no  doubt. 

Would  have  exclaimed,  and  furiously  cry'd  out 

Against  the  fates,  the  destinies  and  starrs. 

What !  this  the  effect  of  planetarie  warrs  ! 

We  might  have  seen  him  rage  and  rave,  yea  worse, 

'Tis  very  like  we  might  have  heard  him  curse 

The  year,  the  month,  the  day,  the  hour,  the  place. 

The  company,  the  wager,  and  the  race  ; 

Decry  all  recreations,  with  the  names 

Of  Isthmian,  Pythian,  and  Olympick  games; 

Exclaim  against  them  all  both  old  and  new. 

Both  the  Nemaean  and  the  Lethaean  too : 


INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.     17 

Adjudge  all  persons,  under  highest  pain, 
Always  to  walk  on  foot,  and  then  again 
Order  all  horses  to  be  hough'd,  that  we 
Might  never  more  the  like  adventure  see. 

Supposing  our  readers  have  had  enough  of  Mr.  Symson's 
woe,  and  finding  nothing  more  in  his  poem  worthy  of  trans- 
cription, we  return  to  the  tragic  story. 

It  is  needless  to  point  out  to  the  intelligent  reader  that  the 
witchcraft  of  the  mother  consisted  only  in  the  ascendency  of 
a  powerful  mind  over  a  weak  and  melancholy  one,  and  that 
the  harshness  with  which  she  exercised  her  superiority  in  a 
case  of  delicacy  had  driven  her  daughter  first  to  despair,  then 
to  frenzy.  Accordingly,  the  Author  has  endeavoured  to  ex- 
plain the  tragic  tale  on  this  principle.  Whatever  resemblance 
Lady  Ashton  may  be  supposed  to  possess  to  the  celebrated 
Dame  Margaret  Ross,  the  reader  must  not  suppose  that  there 
was  any  idea  of  tracing  the  portrait  of  the  first  Lord  Viscount 
Stair  in  the  tricky  and  mean-spirited  Sir  William  Ashton. 
Lord  Stair,  whatever  might  be  his  moral  qualities,  was  cer- 
tainly one  of  the  first  statesmen  and  lawyers  of  his  age. 

The  imaginary  castle  of  Wolf's  Crag  has  been  identified  by 
some  lover  of  locality  with  that  of  Fast  Castle.  The  Author 
is  not  competent  to  judge  of  the  resemblance  betwixt  the  real 
and  imaginary  scenes,  having  never  seen  Fast  Castle  except 
from  the  sea.  But  fortalices  of  this  description  are  found  oc- 
cupying, like  ospreys'  nests,  projecting  rocks,  or  promonto- 
ries, in  many  parts  of  the  eastern  coast  of  Scotland,  and  the 
position  of  Fast  Castle  seems  certainly  to  resemble  that  of 
Wolf's  Crag  as  much  as  any  other,  while  its  vicinity  to  the 
mountain  ridge  of  Lammermoor  renders  the  assimilation  a 
probable  one. 

We  have  only  to  add,  that  the  death  of  the  unfortunate 
bridegroom  by  a  fall  from  horseback  has  been  in  the  novel 
transferred  to  the  no  less  unfortunate  lover.  ^ 

^  See  the  account  of  how  this  novel  was  composed  in  Lockhart's  Life  of 
Scoff,  vol.  vi.  p.  66  etseq.,  ed.  1862  {Laing). 

2 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR. 


CHAPTER    I. 


By  caiik  and  keel  to  win  your  bread, 
Wi'  whigmaleeries  for  them  wha  need, 
Whilk  is  a  gentle  trade  indeed 

To  carry  the  gaberlunzie  on. 

Old  Song. 

Few  have  been  in  my  secret  while  I  was  compiling  these 
narratives,  nor  is  it  probable  that  they  will  ever  become  pub- 
lic during  the  life  of  their  author.  Even  were  that  event  to 
happen,  I  am  not  ambitious  of  the  honoured  distinction,  dhjito 
mo7istrari.  I  confess  that,  were  it  safe  to  cherish  such  dreams 
at  all,  I  should  more  enjoy  the  thought  of  remaining  behind 
the  curtain  unseen,  like  the  ingenious  manager  of  Punch  and 
his  wife  Joan,  and  enjoying  the  astonishment  and  conjectures 
of  my  audience.  Then  might  I,  perchance,  hear  the  produc- 
tions of  the  obscure  Peter  Pattieson  praised  by  the  judicious 
and  admired  by  the  feeling,  engrossing  the  young  and  attract- 
ing even  the  old ;  while  the  critic  traced  their  fame  up  to  some 
name  of  literary  celebrity,  and  the  question  when,  and  by 
whom,  these  tales  were  written  filled  up  the  pause  of  conver- 
sation in  a  hundred  circles  and  coteries.  This  I  may  never 
enjoy  during  my  lifetime;  but  farther  than  this,  I  am  certain, 
my  vanity  should  never  induce  me  to  aspire. 

T  am  too  stubborn  in  habits,  and  too  little  polished  in  man- 
ners, to  envy  or  aspire  to  the  honours  assigned  to  my  literary 
contemporaries.  I  could  not  think  a  whit  more  highly  of  my- 
self were  I  found  worthy  to  "  come  in  place  as  a  lion"  for  a 
winter  in  the  great  metropolis.  I  could  not  rise,  turn  round, 
and  show  all  my  honours,  from  the  shaggy  mane  to  the  tufted 


20  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

tail,  "roar  you  an't  were  any  nightingale,"  and  so  lie  down 
again  like  a  well-behaved  beast  of  show,  and  all  at  the  cheap 
and  easy  rate  of  a  cup  of  coffee  and  a  slice  of  bread  and  butter 
as  thin  as  a  wafer.  And  I  could  ill  stomach  the  fulsome  flat- 
tery with  which  the  lady  of  the  evening  indulges  her  show- 
monsters  on  such  occasions,  as  she  crams  her  parrots  wits? 
sugar-plums,  in  order  to  make  them  talk  before  company.  I 
cannot  be  tempted  to  "  come  aloft"  for  these  marks  of  distinc- 
tion, and,  like  imprisoned  Samson,  I  would  rather  remain — 
if  such  must  be  the  alternative — all  my  life  in  the  mill-house, 
grinding  for  my  very  bread,  than  be  brought  forth  to  make 
sport  for  the  Philistine  lords  and  ladies.  This  proceeds  from 
no  dislike,  real  or  affected,  to  the  aristocracy  of  these  realms. 
But  they  have  their  place,  and  I  have  mine;  and,  like  the 
iron  and  earthen  vessels  in  the  old  fable,  we  can  scarce  come 
into  collision  without  my  being  the  sufferer  in  every  sense. 
It  may  be  otherwise  with  the  sheets  which  I  am  now  writing. 
These  may  be  opened  and  laid  aside  at  pleasure;  by  amusing 
themselves  with  the  perusal,  the  great  will  excite  no  false 
hopes;  by  neglecting  or  condemning  them,  they  will  inflict 
no  pain ;  and  how  seldom  can  they  converse  with  those  whose 
minds  have  toiled  for  their  delight  without  doing  either  the 
one  or  the  other. 

In  the  better  and  wiser  tone  of  feeling  which  Ovid  only  ex- 
presses in  one  line  to  retract  in  that  which  follows,  I  can  ad- 
dress these  quires — 

Parve,  nee  invideo,  sine  me,  liber,  ibis  in  urbem. 

Nor  do  I  join  the  regret  of  the  illustrious  exile,  that  he  him- 
self could  not  in  person  accompany  the  volume,  which  he  sent 
forth  to  the  mart  of  literature,  pleasure,  and  luxury.  Were 
there  not  a  hundred  similar  instances  on  record,  the  fate  of 
my  poor  friend  and  school-fellow,  Dick  Tinto,  would  be  suflB.- 
cient  to  warn  me  against  seeking  happiness  in  the  celebrity 
which  attaches  itself  to  a  successful  cultivator  of  the  fine  arts. 
Dick  Tinto,  when  he  wrote  himself  artist,  was  wont  to  de- 
rive his  origin  from  the  ancient  family  of  Tinto,  of  that  ilk, 
in  Lanarkshire,  and  occasionally  hinted  that  he  had  somewhat 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  21 

derogated  from  his  gentle  blood  in  using  the  pencil  for  his 
pirncipal  means  of  support.  But  if  Dick's  pedigree  was  cor- 
rect, some  of  his  ancestors  must  have  suffered  a  more  heavy  de- 
clension, since  the  good  man  his  father  executed  the  necessary, 
and,  I  trust,  the  honest,  but  certainly  not  very  distinguished, 
employment  of  tailor  in  ordinar}'  to  the  village  of  Langdirdum 
in  the  west.  Under  his  humble  roof  was  Richard  born,  and  to 
his  father's  humble  trade  was  Richard,  greatly  contrary  to  his 
inclination,  early  indentured.  Old  Mr.  Tinto  had,  however, 
no  reason  to  congratulate  himself  upon  having  compelled  the 
youthful  genius  of  his  son  to  forsake  its  natural  bent.  He 
fared  like  the  school-boy  who  attempts  to  stop  with  his  finger 
the  spout  of  a  water  cistern,  while  the  stream,  exasperated  at 
this  compression,  escapes  by  a  thousand  uncalculated  spurts, 
and  wets  him  all  over  for  his  pains.  Even  so  fared  the  senior 
Tinto,  when  his  hopeful  apprentice  not  only  exhausted  all  the 
chalk  in  making  sketches  upon  the  shopboard,  but  even  exe- 
cuted several  caricatures  of  his  father's  best  customers,  who 
began  loudly  to  murmur,  that  it  was  too  hard  to  have  their 
persons  deformed  by  the  vestments  of  the  father,  and  to  be 
at  the  same  time  turned  into  ridicule  by  the  pencil  of  the  son. 
This  led  to  discredit  and  loss  of  practice,  until  the  old  tailor, 
yielding  to  destiny  and  to  the  entreaties  of  his  son,  permitted 
him  to  attempt  his  fortune  in  a  line  for  which  he  was  better 
qualified. 

There  was  about  this  time,  in  the  village  of  Langdirdum,  a 
peripatetic  brother  of  the  brush,  who  exercised  his  vocation 
sub  Jove  frigido,  the  object  of  admiration  to  all  the  boys  of  the 
village,  but  especially  to  Dick  Tinto.  The  age  had  not  yet 
adopted,  amongst  other  unworthy  retrenchments,  that  illiberal 
measure  of  economy  which,  supplying  by  written  characters  the 
lack  of  symbolical  representation,  closes  one  open  and  easily 
accessible  avenue  of  instruction  and  emolument  against  the 
students  of  the  fine  arts.  It  was  not  yet  permitted  to  write 
upon  the  plastered  doorway  of  an  alehouse,  or  the  suspended 
sign  of  an  inn,  "The  Old  Magpie,"  or  "The  Saracen's  Head," 
substituting  that  cold  description  for  the  lively  effigies  of  the 
plumed  chatterer,  or  the  turban 'd  frown  of  the  terrific  soldan. 


22  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

That  early  and  more  simple  age  considered  alike  the  necessities 
of  all  ranks,  and  depicted  the  symbols  of  good  cheer  so  as  to  be 
obvious  to  all  capacities;  well  judging  that  a  man  who  could 
not  read  a  syllable  might  nevertheless  love  a  pot  of  good  ale 
as  well  as  his  better-educated  neighbours,  or  even  as  the  par- 
son himself.  Acting  upon  this  liberal  principle,  publicans  as 
yet  hung  forth  the  painted  emblems  of  their  calling,  and  sign- 
painters,  if  they  seldom  feasted,  did  not  at  least  absolutely 
starve. 

To  a  worthy  of  this  decayed  profession,  as  we  have  already 
intimated,  Dick  Tinto  became  an  assistant;  and  thus,  as  is 
not  unusual  among  heaven-born  geniuses  in  this  department 
of  the  fine  arts,  began  to  paint  before  he  had  any  notion  of 
drawing. 

His  talent  for  observing  nature  soon  induced  him  to  rectify 
the  errors,  and  soar  above  the  instructions,  of  his  teacher.  He 
particularly  shone  in  painting  horses,  that  being  a  favourite 
sign  in  the  Scottish  villages ;  and,  in  tracing  his  progress,  it 
is  beautiful  to  observe  how  by  degrees  he  learned  to  shorten 
the  backs  and  prolong  the  legs  of  these  noble  animals,  until 
they  came  to  look  less  like  crocodiles,  and  more  like  nags. 
Detraction,  which  always  pursues  merit  with  strides  propor- 
tioned to  its  advancement,  has  indeed  alleged  that  Dick  once 
upon  a  time  painted  a  horse  with  five  legs,  instead  of  four.  I 
might  have  rested  his  defence  upon  the  license  allowed  to  that 
branch  of  his  profession,  which,  as  it  permits  all  sorts  of  sin- 
gular and  irregular  combinations,  may  be  allowed  to  extend 
itself  so  far  as  to  bestow  a  limb  supernumerary  on  a  favourite 
subject.  But  the  cause  of  a  deceased  friend  is  sacred;  and  I 
disdain  to  bottom  it  so  superficially.  I  have  visited  the  sign 
in  question,  which  yet  swings  exalted  in  the  village  of  Lang- 
dirdum;  and  I  am  ready  to  depone  upon  the  oath  that  what 
has  been  idly  mistaken  or  misrepresented  as  being  the  fifth 
leg  of  the  horse,  is,  in  fact,  the  tail  of  that  quadruped,  and, 
considered  with  reference  to  the  posture  in  which  he  is  deline- 
ated, forms  a  circumstance  mtroduced  and  managed  with  great 
and  successful,  though  daring,  art.  The  nag  being  repre- 
sented in  a  rampant  or  rearing  posture,  the  tail,  which  is  pro- 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  23 

longed  till  it  touches  the  ground,  appears  to  form  a  ^^o//i^ 
iVappid^  and  gives  the  firmness  of  a  tripod  to  the  figure,  with- 
out which  it  would  be  difiicnlt  to  conceive,  placed  as  the  feet 
are,  how  the  courser  could  maintain  his  ground  without  tum- 
bling backwards.  This  bold  conception  has  fortunately  fallen 
into  the  custody  of  one  by  whom  it  is  duly  valued ;  for,  when 
Dick,  in  his  more  advanced  state  of  proficiency,  became  du- 
bious of  the  propriety  of  so  daring  a  deviation  from  the  estab- 
lished rules  of  art,  and  was  desirous  to  execute  a  picture  of 
the  publican  himself  in  exchange  for  this  juvenile  produc- 
tion, the  courteous  offer  was  declined  by  his  judicious  employ- 
er, who  had  observed,  it  seems,  that  when  his  ale  failed  to  do 
its  duty  in  conciliating  his  guests,  one  glance  at  his  sign  was 
sure  to  put  them  hi  good  humour. 

It  would  be  foreign  to  my  present  purpose  to  trace  the  steps 
by  which  Dick  Tinto  improved  his  touch,  and  corrected,  by 
the  rules  of  art,  the  luxuriance  of  a  fervid  imagination.  The 
scales  fell  from  his  eyes  on  viewing  the  sketches  of  a  contem- 
porary, the  Scottish  Teniers,  as  Wilkie  has  been  deservedly 
styled.  He  threw  down  the  brush,  took  up  the  crayons,  and, 
amid  hunger  and  toil,  and  suspense  and  uncertainty,  pursued 
the  path  of  his  profession  under  better  auspices  than  those  of 
his  original  master.  Still  the  first  rude  emanations  of  his  ge- 
nius, like  the  nursery  rhymes  of  Pope,  could  these  be  recov- 
ered, will  be  dear  to  the  companions  of  Dick  Tinto' s  youth. 
There  is  a  tankard  and  gridiron  ,  painted  over  the  door  of  an 

obscure  change-house  in  the  Back  Wynd  of  Gandercleugh 

But  I  feel  I  must  tear  myself  from  the  subject,  or  dwell  on  it 
too  long. 

Amid  his  wants  and  struggles,  Dick  Tinto  had  recourse,  like 
his  brethren,  to  levying  that  tax  upon  the  vanity  of  mankind 
which  he  could  not  extract  from  their  taste  and  liberality — in 
a  word,  he  painted  portraits.  It  was  in  this  more  advanced 
state  of  proficiency,  when  Dick  had  soared  above  his  original 
line  of  business,  and  highly  disdained  any  allusion  to  it,  that, 
after  having  been  estranged  for  several  years,  we  again  met 
in  the  village  of  Gandercleugh,  I  holding  my  present  situa- 
tion, and  Dick  painting  copies  of  the  human  face  divine  at  a 


24  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

guinea  per  head.  This  was  a  small  premium,  yet,  in  the  first 
burst  of  business,  it  more  than  sufficed  for  all  Dick's  moderate 
wants ;  so  that  he  occupied  an  apartment  at  the  Wallace  Inn, 
cracked  his  jest  with  impunity  even  upon  mine  host  himself, 
and  lived  in  respect  and  observance  with  the  chambermaid, 
hostler,  and  waiter. 

Those  halcyon  days  were  too  serene  to  last  long.  When  his 
honour  the  Laird  of  Gandercleugh,  with  his  wife  and  three 
daughters,  the  minister,  the  ganger,  mine  esteemed  patron  Mr. 
Jedediah  Cleishbotham,  and  some  round  dozen  of  the  feuars 
and  farmers,  had  been  consigned  to  immortality  by  Tinto's 
brush,  custom  began  to  slacken,  and  it  was  impossible  to 
wring  more  than  crowns  and  half-crowns  from  the  hard  hands  of 
the  peasants  whose  ambition  led  them  to  Dick's  painting-room. 

Still,  though  the  horizon  was  overclouded,  no  storm  for 
some  time  ensued.  Mine  host  had  Christian  faith  with  a 
lodger  who  had  been  a  good  paymaster  as  long  as  he  had  the 
means.  And  from  a  portrait  of  our  landlord  himself,  grouped 
with  his  wife  and  daughters,  in  the  style  of  Rubens,  which 
suddenly  appeared  in  the  best  parlour,  it  was  evident  that 
Dick  had  found  some  mode  of  bartering  art  for  the  necessaries 
of  life. 

Nothing,  however,  is  more  precarious  than  resources  of  this 
nature.  It  was  observed  that  Dick  became  in  his  turn  the 
whetstone  of  mine  host's  wit,  without  venturing  either  at  de- 
fence or  retaliation ;  that  his  easel  was  transferred  to  a  garret- 
room,  in  which  there  was  scarce  space  for  it  to  stand  upright; 
and  that  he  no  longer  ventured  to  join  the  weekly  club,  of 
which  he  had  been  once  the  life  and  soul.  In  short,  Dick 
Tinto's  friends  feared  that  he  had  acted  like  the  animal  called 
the  sloth,  which,  having  eaten  up  the  last  green  leaf  upon  the 
tree  where  it  has  established  itself,  ends  by  tumbling  down 
from  the  top,  and  dying  of  inanition.  I  ventured  to  hint  this 
to  Dick,  recommended  his  transferring  the  exercise  of  his  in- 
estimable talent  to  some  other  sphere,  and  forsaking  the  com- 
mon which  he  might  be  said  to  have  eaten  bare. 

"  There  is  an  obstacle  to  my  change  of  residence, "  said  my 
friend,  grasping  my  hand  with  a  look  of  solemnity. 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAM^IERMOOR.  25 

"A  bill  due  to  my  laiidlcid,  I  am  afraid?"  replied  I,  with 
heartfelt  sympathy;  "if  any  part  of  my  slender  means  can 
assist  in  this  emergence " 

"]S[o,  by  the  soul  of  Sir  Joshua!"  answered  the  generous 
youth,  "  I  will  never  involve  a  friend  in  the  consequences  of 
my  own  misfortune.  There  is  a  mode  by  which  I  can  regain 
my  liberty;  and  to  creep  even  through  a  common  sewer  is 
better  than  to  remain  in  prison." 

I  did  not  perfectly  understand  what  my  friend  meant.  The 
muse  of  painting  appeared  to  have  failed  him,  and  what  other 
goddess  he  could  invoke  in  his  distress  was  a  mystery  to  me. 
We  parted,  however,  without  further  explanation,  and  I  did 
not  again  see  him  until  three  days  after,  when  he  summoned 
me  to  partake  of  the  "  foy"  with  which  his  landlord  proposed 
to  regale  him  ere  his  departure  for  Edinburgh. 

I  found  Dick  in  high  spirits,  whistling  while  he  buckled  the 
small  knapsack  which  contained  his  colours,  brushes,  pallets, 
and  clean  shirt.  That  he  parted  on  the  best  terms  with  mine 
host  was  obvious  from  the  cold  beef  set  forth  in  the  low  par- 
lour, hanked  by  two  mugs  of  admirable  brown  stout ;  and  I  own 
my  curiosity  was  excited  concerning  the  means  through  which 
the  face  of  my  friend's  affairs  had  been  so  suddenly  improved. 
I  did  not  suspect  Dick  of  dealing  with  the  devil,  and  by  what 
earthly  means  he  had  extricated  himself  thus  happily  I  was 
at  a  total  loss  to  conjecture. 

He  perceived  my  curiosity,  and  took  me  by  the  hand. 
"  My  friend, "  he  said,  "  fain  would  I  conceal,  even  from  you, 
the  degradation  to  which  it  has  been  necessary  to  submit,  in 
order  to  accomplish  an  honourable  retreat  from  Gandercleugh. 
But  what  avails  attempting  to  conceal  that  which  must  needs 
betray  itself  even  by  its  superior  excellence?  All  the  village 
— all  the  parish — all  the  world — will  soon  discover  to  what 
poverty  has  reduced  Richard  Tinto." 

A  sudden  thought  here  struck  me.  I  had  observed  that 
our  landlord  wore,  on  that  memorable  morning,  a  pair  of  bran 
new  velveteens  instead  of  his  ancient  thicksets. 

"  What, "  said  I,  di-awing  my  right  hand,  with  the  forefinger 
and  thumb  pressed  together,  nimbly  from  my  right  haunch 


26  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

to  my  left  shoulder,  "you  have  condescended  to  resume  the 
paternal  arts  to  which  you  were  first  bred — long  stitches,  ha, 
Dick?" 

He  repelled  this  unlucky  conjecture  with  a  frown  and  a 
pshaw,  indicative  of  indignant  contempt,  and  leading  me  into 
another  room,  showed  me,  resting  against  the  wall,  the  ma- 
jestic head  of  Sir  William  Wallace,  grim  as  when  severed  from 
the  trunk  by  the  orders  of  the  felon  Edward. 

The  painting  was  executed  on  boards  of  a  substantial  thick- 
ness, and  the  top  decorated  with  irons,  for  suspending  the 
honoured  effigy  upon  a  signpost. 

"There,"  he  said,  "my  friend,  stands  the  honour  of.  Scot- 
land, and  my  shame ;  yet  not  so — rather  the  shame  of  those 
who,  instead  of  encouraging  art  in  its  proper  sphere,  reduce 
it  to  these  unbecoming  and  unworthy  extremities." 

I  endeavoured  to  smooth  the  ruffled  feelings  of  my  misused 
and  indignant  friend.  I  reminded  him  that  he  ought  not, 
like  the  stag  in  the  fable,  to  despise  the  quality  which  had 
extricated  him  from  difficulties,  in  which  his  talents,  as  a 
portrait  or  landscape  painter,  had  been  found  unavailing. 
Above  all,  I  praised  the  execution,  as  well  as  conception,  of 
his  painting,  and  reminded  him  that,  far  from  feeling  dishon- 
oured by  so  superb  a  specimen  of  his  talents  being  exposed  to 
the  general  view  of  the  public,  he  ought  rather  to  congratulate 
himself  upon  the  augmentation  of  his  celebrity  to  which  its 
public  exhibition  must  necessarily  give  rise. 

"  You  are  right,  my  friend — you  are  right, "  replied  poor 
Dick,  his  eye  kindling  with  enthusiasm;  "  why  should  I  shun 
the  name  of  an — an — (he  hesitated  for  a  phrase) — an  out- 
of-doors  artist?  Hogarth  has  introduced  himself  in  that 
character  in  one  of  his  best  engravings;  Domenichino,  or 
somebody  else,  in  ancient  times,  Morland  in  our  own,  have 
exercised  their  talents  in  this  manner.  Ajid  wherefore  limit 
to  the  rich  and  higher  classes  alone  the  delight  which  the 
exhibition  of  works  of  art  is  calculated  to  inspire  into  all 
classes?  Statues  are  placed  in  the  open  air,  why  should 
Painting  be  more  niggardly  in  displaying  her  masterpieces 
than  her  sister.  Sculpture?     And  yet,  my  friend,  we  must  part 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  27 

suddenly ;  the  carpenter  is  coming  in  an  hour  to  put  up  the — 
the  emblem;  and  truly,  with  all  my  philosophy,  and  your 
consolatory  encouragement  to  boot,  I  would  rather  wish  to 
leave  Gandercleugh  before  that  operation  commences." 

We  partook  of  our  genial  host's  parting  banquet,  and  I 
escorted  Dick  on  his  walk  to  Edinburgh.  We  parted  about 
a  mile  from  the  village,  just  as  we  heard  the  distant  cheer  of 
the  boys  which  accompanied  the  mounting  of  the  new  symbol 
of  the  Wallace  Head.  Dick  Tinto  mended  his  pace  to  get 
out  of  hearing,  so  little  had  either  early  practice  or  recent 
philosophy  reconciled  him  to  the  character  of  a  sign-painter. 

In  Edinburgh,  Dick's  talents  were  discovered  and  appre- 
ciated, and  he  received  dinners  and  hints  from  several  dis- 
tinguished judges  of  the  fine  arts.  But  these  gentlemen  dis- 
pensed their  criticism  more  willingly  than  their  cash,  and 
Dick  thought  he  needed  cash  more  than  criticism.  He  there- 
fore sought  London,  the  universal  mart  of  talent,  and  where, 
as  is  usual  in  general  marts  of  most  descriptions,  much  more 
of  each  commodity  is  exposed  to  sale  than  can  ever  find  pur- 
chasers. 

Dick,  who,  in  serious  earnest,  was  supposed  to  have  consid- 
erable natural  talents  for  his  profession,  and  whose  vain  and 
sanguine  disposition  never  permitted  him  to  doubt  for  a  mo- 
ment of  ultimate  success,  threw  himself  headlong  into  the 
crowd  which  jostled  and  struggled  for  notice  and  preferment. 
He  elbowed  others,  and  was  elbowed  himself;  and  finally,  by 
dint  of  intrepidity,  fought  his  way  into  some  notice,  painted 
for  the  prize  at  the  Institution,  had  pictures  at  the  exhibition 
at  Somerset  House,  and  damned  the  hanging  committee.  But 
poor  Dick  was  doomed  to  lose  the  field  he  fought  so  gallantly. 
In  the  fine  arts,  there  is  scarce  an  alternative  betwixt  distin- 
guished success  and  absolute  failure;  and  as  Dick's  zeal  and 
industry  were  unable  to  ensure  the  first,  he  fell  into  the  dis- 
tresses which,  in  his  condition,  were  the  natural  consequences 
of  the  latter  alternative.  He  was  for  a  time  patronised  by  one 
or  two  of  those  judicious  persons  who  make  a  virtue  of  being 
singular,  and  of  pitching  their  own  opinions  against  those  of 
the  world  in  matters  of  taste  and  criticism.     But  they  soon 


28  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

tired  of  poor  Tinto,  and  laid  him  down  as  a  load,  upon  the 
principle  on  which  a  spoilt  child  throws  away  its  plaything. 
Misery,  I  fear,  took  him  up,  and  accompanied  him  to  a  pre- 
mature grave,  to  which  he  was  carried  from  an  obscure  lodg- 
ing in  Swallow  Street,  where  he  had  been  dunned  by  his  land- 
lady within  doors,  and  watched  by  bailiffs  without,  until  death 
came  to  his  relief.  A  corner  of  the  Morniiig  Post  noticed  his 
death,  generously  adding,  that  his  manner  displayed  consider- 
able genius,  though  his  style  was  rather  sketchy ;  and  referred 
to  an  advertisement,  which  announced  that  Mr.  Varnish,  a 
well-known  printseller,  had  still  on  hand  a  very  few  drawings 
and  paintings  by  Eichard  Tinto,  Esquire,  which  those  of  the 
nobility  and  gentry  who  might  wish  to  complete  their  collec- 
tions of  modern  art  were  invited  to  visit  without  delay.  So 
ended  Dick  Tinto!  a  lamentable  proof  of  the  great  truth,  that 
in  the  fine  arts  mediocrity  is  not  permitted,  and  that  he  who 
cannot  ascend  to  the  very  top  of  the  ladder  will  do  well  not 
to  put  his  foot  upon  it  at  all. 

The  memory  of  Tinto  is  dear  to  me,  from  the  recollection 
of  the  many  conversations  which  we  have  had  together,  most 
of  them  turning  upon  my  present  task.  He  was  delighted 
with  my  progress,  and  talked  of  an  ornamented  and  illustrated 
edition,  with  heads,  vignettes,  and  culs  de  lampe,  all  to  be 
designed  by  his  own  patriotic  and  friendly  pencil.  He  pre- 
vailed upon  an  old  sergeant  of  mvalids  to  sit  to  him  in  the 
character  of  Bothwell,  the  lifeguard' s-man  of  Charles  the 
Second,  and  the  bellman  of  Gandercleugh  in  that  of  David 
Deans.  But  while  he  thus  proposed  to  unite  his  own  pow- 
ers with  mine  for  the  illustration  of  these  narratives,  he 
mixed  many  a  dose  of  salutary  criticism  with  the  panegyrics 
which  my  composition  was  at  times  so  fortunate  as  to  call 
forth. 

"Your  characters,"  he  said,  "my  dear  Pattieson,  make  too 
much  use  of  the  goh  box;  they  xjatter  too  much  (an  elegant 
phraseology  which  Dick  had  learned  while  painting  the  scenes 
of  an  itinerant  company  of  players)  ;  there  is  nothing  in  whole 
pages  but  mere  chat  and  dialogue." 

"The  ancient  philosopher,"  said  I  in  reply,  "was  wont  to 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  29 

say,  '  Speak,  that  I  may  know  thee'  j  and  how  is  it  possible 
for  an  author  to  introduce  his  personce  dr^amatis  to  his  readers 
in  a  more  interesting  and  effectual  manner  than  by  the  dia- 
logue in  which  each  is  represented  as  supporting  his  own 
appropriate  character?" 

"  It  is  a  false  conclusion, "  said  Tinto ;  "  I  hate  it,  Peter,  as 
I  hate  an  uniilled  can.  I  grant  you,  indeed,  that  speech  is  a 
faculty  of  some  value  in  the  intercourse  of  human  affairs,  and 
I  will  not  even  insist  on  the  doctrine  of  that  Pythagorean 
toper,  who  was  of  opinion  that  over  a  bottle  speaking  spoiled 
conversation.  But  I  will  not  allow  that  a  professor  of  the  fine 
arts  has  occasion  to  embody  the  idea  of  his  scene  in  language, 
in  order  to  impress  upon  the  reader  its  reality  and  its  effect. 
On  the  contrary,  I  will  be  judged  by  most  of  your  readers, 
Peter,  should  these  tales  ever  become  public,  whether  you 
have  not  given  us  a  page  of  talk  for  every  single  idea  which 
two  words  might  have  communicated,  while  the  posture,  and 
manner,  and  incident,  accurately  drawn,  and  brought  out  by 
appropriate  colouring,  would  have  preserved  all  that  was 
worthy  of  preservation,  and  saved  these  everlasting  'said  he's' 
and  'said  she's,'  with  which  it  has  been  your  pleasure  to  en- 
cumber your  pages." 

I  replied,  "  That  he  confounded  the  operations  of  the  pencil 
and  the  pen ;  that  the  serene  and  silent  art,  as  painting  has 
been  called  by  one  of  our  first  living  poets,  necessarily  ap- 
pealed to  the  eye,  because  it  had  not  the  organs  for  address- 
ing the  ear;  whereas  poetry,  or  that  species  of  composition 
which  approached  to  it,  lay  under  the  necessity  of  doing  abso- 
lutely the  reverse,  and  addressed  itself  to  the  ear,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  exciting  that  interest  which  it  could  not  attain  through 
the  medium  of  the  eye." 

Dick  was  not  a  whit  staggered  by  my  argument,  which  he 
contended  was  founded  on  misrepresentation.  "  Description, " 
he  said,  "  was  to  the  author  of  a  romance  exactly  what  draw- 
ing and  tinting  were  to  a  painter :  words  were  his  colours, 
and,  if  properly  employed,  they  could  not  fail  to  place  the 
scene  which  he  wished  to  conjure  up  as  effectually  before  the 
mind's  eye  as  the  tablet  or  canvas  presents  it  to  the  bodily 


30  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

organ.  The  same  rules,"  he  contended,  "  applied  to  both,  and 
an  exuberance  of  dialogue,  in  the  former  case,  was  a  verbose 
and  laborious  mode  of  composition  which  went  to  confomid 
the  proper  art  of  fictitious  narrative  with  that  of  the  drama, 
a  widely  different  species  of  composition,  of  which  dialogue 
was  the  very  essence,  because  all,  excepting  the  language  to 
be  made  use  of,  was  presented  to  the  eye  by  the  dresses,  and 
persons,  and  actions  of  the  performers  upon  the  stage.  But 
as  nothing, "  said  Dick,  "  can  be  more  dull  than  a  long  narra- 
tive written  upon  the  plan  of  a  drama,  so  where  you  have  ap- 
proached most  near  to  that  species  of  composition,  by  indulg- 
ing in  prolonged  scenes  of  mere  conversation,  the  course  of 
your  story  has  become  chill  and  constrained,  and  you  have 
lost  the  power  of  arresting  the  attention  and  exciting  the  im- 
agination, in  which  upon  other  occasions  you  may  be  considered 
as  having  succeeded  tolerably  well." 

I  made  my  bow  in  requital  of  the  compliment,  which  was 
probably  thrown  in  by  way  of  7>/ace^o,  and  expressed  myself 
willing  at  least  to  make  one  trial  of  a  more  straightforward 
style  of  composition,  in  which  my  actors  should  do  more,  and 
say  less,  than  in  my  former  attempts  of  this  kind.  Dick  gave 
me  a  patronising  and  approving  nod,  and  observed  that,  find- 
ing me  so  docile,  he  would  communicate,  for  the  benefit  of 
my  muse,  a  subject  which  he  had  studied  with  a  view  to  his 
own  art. 

"The  stor}^,"  he  said,  "was,  by  tradition,  affirmed  to  be 
truth,  although,  as  upwards  of  a  hundred  years  had  passed 
away  since  the  events  took  place,  some  doubts  upon  the  accu- 
racy of  all  the  particulars  might  be  reasonably  entertained." 

When  Dick  Tinto  had  thus  spoken,  he  rummaged  his  port- 
folio for  the  sketch  from  which  he  proposed  one  day  to  exe- 
cute a  picture  of  fourteen  feet  by  eight.  The  sketch,  which 
was  cleverly  executed,  to  use  the  appropriate  phrase,  repre- 
sented an  ancient  hall,  fitted  up  and  furnished  in  what  we  now 
call  the  taste  of  Queen  Elizabeth's  age.  The  light,  admitted 
from  the  upper  part  of  a  high  casement,  fell  upon  a  female 
figure  of  exquisite  beauty,  who,  in  an  attitude  of  speechless 
terror,  appeared  to  watch  the  issue  of  a  debate  betwixt  two 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  31 

other  persons.  The  one  was  a  young  man,  in  the  Vandyke 
dress  common  to  the  time  of  Charles  I.,  who,  with  an  air  of 
indignant  pride,  testified  by  the  manner  in  which  he  raised 
his  head  and  extended  his  arm,  seemed  to  be  urging  a  claim 
of  right,  rather  than  of  favour,  to  a  lady  whose  age,  and  some 
resemblance  in  their  features,  pointed  her  out  as  the  mother 
of  the  younger  female,  and  who  appeared  to  listen  with  a 
mixture  of  displeasure  and  impatience. 

Tinto  produced  his  sketch  with  an  air  of  mysterious  tri- 
umph, and  gazed  on  it  as  a  fond  parent  looks  upon  a  hopeful 
child,  while  he  anticipates  the  future  figure  he  is  to  make  in 
the  world,  and  the  height  to  which  he  will  raise  the  honour 
of  his  family.  He  held  it  at  arm's  length  from  me — he 
held  it  closer — he  placed  it  upon  the  top  of  a  chest  of  draw- 
ers— closed  the  lower  shutters  of  the  casement,  to  adjust  a 
downward  and  favourable  light — fell  back  to  the  due  distance, 
dragging  me  after  him — shaded  his  face  with  his  hand,  as  if 
to  exclude  all  but  the  favourite  object — and  ended  by  spoiling 
a  child's  copy-book,  which  he  rolled  up  so  as  to  serve  for  the 
darkened  tube  of  an  amateur.  I  fancy  my  expressions  of  en- 
thusiasm had  not  been  in  proportion  to  his  own,  for  he  pres- 
ently exclaimed  with  vehemence :  "  Mr.  Pattieson,  I  used  to 
think  you  had  an  eye  in  your  head. " 

I  vindicated  my  claim  to  the  usual  allowance  of  visual  organs. 

"  Yet,  on  my  honour, "  said  Dick,  "  I  would  swear  you  had 
been  born  blind,  since  you  have  failed  at  the  first  glance  to 
discover  the  subject  and  meaning  of  that  sketch.  I  do  not 
mean  to  praise  my  own  performance,  I  leave  these  arts  to 
others ;  I  am  sensible  of  my  deficiencies,  conscious  that  my 
drawing  and  colouring  may  be  improved  by  the  time  I  intend 
to  dedicate  to  the  art.  But  the  conception — the  expression — 
the  positions — these  tell  the  story  to  every  one  who  looks  at 
the  sketch ;  and  if  I  can  finish  the  picture  without  diminution 
of  the  original  conception,  the  name  of  Tinto  shall  no  more  be 
smothered  by  the  mists  of  envy  and  intrigue." 

I  replied :  "  That  I  admired  the  sketch  exceedingly ;  but 
that  to  understand  its  full  merit,  I  felt  it  absolutely  necessary 
to  be  informed  of  the  subject." 


32  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

"That  is  the  very  thing  I  complain  of ,"' answered  Tinto; 
"  you  have  accustomed  yourseK  so  much  to  these  creeping  twi- 
light details  of  yours,  that  you  are  become  incapable  of  receiv- 
ing that  instant  and  vivid  flash  of  conviction  which  darts  on  the 
mind  from  seeing  the  happy  and  expressive  combinations  of  a 
single  scene,  and  which  gathers  from  the  position,  attitude,  and 
countenance  of  the  moment,  not  only  the  history  of  the  past 
lives  of  the  personages  represented,  and  the  nature  of  the 
business  on  which  they  are  immediately  engaged,  but  lifts 
even  the  veil  of  futurity,  and  aifords  a  shrewd  guess  at  their 
future  fortunes." 

"  In  that  case, "  replied  I,  "  Painting  excels  the  ape  of  the 
renowned  Gines  de  Passamonte,  which  only  meddled  with  the 
past  and  the  present;  nay,  she  excels  that  very  Nature  who 
affords  her  subjects;  for  I  protest  to  you,  Dick,  that  were  I 
permitted  to  peep  into  that  Elizabeth-chamber,  and  see  the 
persons  you  have  sketched  conversing  in  flesh  and  blood,  I 
should  not  be  a  jot  nearer  guessing  the  nature  of  their  business 
than  I  am  at  this  moment  while  looking  at  your  sketch.  Only 
generally,  from  the  languishing  look  of  the  young  lady,  and 
the  care  you  have  taken  to  present  a  very  handsome  leg  on  the 
part  of  the  gentleman,  I  presume  there  is  some  reference  to  a 
love  affair  between  them." 

"  Do  you  really  presume  to  form  such  a  bold  conjecture?" 
said  Tinto.  "  And  the  indignant  earnestness  with  which  you 
see  the  man  urge  his  suit,  the  unresisting  and  passive  despair 
of  the  younger  female,  the  stern  air  of  inflexible  determination 
in  the  elder  woman,  whose  looks  express  at  once  consciousness 
that  she  is  acting  wrong  and  a  firm  determination  to  persist  in 
the  course  she  has  adopted " 

"If  her  looks  express  all  this,  my  dear  Tinto,"  replied  I, 
interrupting  him,  "  your  pencil  rivals  the  dramatic  art  of  Mr. 
Puff  in  The  Critic,  who  crammed  a  whole  complicated  sentence 
into  the  expressive  shake  of  Lord  Burleigh's  head." 

"  My  good  friend,  Peter,"  replied  Tinto,  "  I  observe  you  are 
perfectly  incorrigible;  however,  I  have  compassion  on  your 
dulness,  and  am  unwilling  you  should  be  deprived  of  the 
pleasure  of  understanding  my  picture,  and  of  gaining,  at  the 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  33 

same  time,  a  subject  for  your  own  pen.  You  must  know  then, 
last  summer,  while  I  was  taking  sketches  on  the  coast  of  East 
Lothian  and  Berwickshire,  I  was  saduced  into  the  mountains 
of  Lammermoor  by  the  account  I  received  of  some  remains  of 
antiquity  in  that  district.  Those  with  which  I  was  most  struck 
were  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  castle  in  which  that  Elizabeth- 
chamber,  as  you  call  it,  once  existed.  I  resided  for  two  or 
three  days  at  a  farmhouse  in  the  neighbourhood,  where  the 
aged  goodwife  was  well  acquainted  with  the  history  of  the 
castle,  and  the  events  which  had  taken  place  in  it.  One  of 
these  was  of  a  nature  so  interesting  and  singular,  that  my  at- 
tention was  divided  between  my  wish  to  draw  the  old  ruins  in 
landscape,  and  to  represent,  in  a  history-piece,  the  singular 
events  which  have  taken  place  in  it.  Here  are  m}^  notes  of 
the  tale, "  said  poor  Dick,  handing  a  parcel  of  loose  scraps, 
partly  scratched  over  with  his  pencil,  partly  with  his  pen, 
where  outlines  of  caricatures,  sketches  of  turrets,  mills,  old 
gables,  and  dovecots,  disputed  the  ground  with  his  written 
memoranda. 

I  proceeded,  however,  to  decipher  the  substance  of  the 
manuscript  as  well  as  I  could,  and  wove  it  into  the  following 
Tale,  in  which,  following  in  part,  though  not  entirely,  my 
friend  Tinto's  advice,  I  endeavoured  to  render  my  narrative 
rather  descriptive  than  dramatic.  My  favourite  propensity, 
however,  has  at  times  overcome  me,  and  my  persons,  like 
many  others  in  this  talking  world,  speak  now  and  then  a 
great  deal  more  than  they  act. ' 


CHAPTER    II. 


Well,  lords,  we  have  not  got  that  which  we  have  ; 
'Tis  not  enough  our  foes  are  this  time  fled, 
Being  opposites  of  such  repairing  nature, 

Heyiry  VI.  Part  11. 

In  the  gorge  of  a  x^ass  or  mountain  glen,  ascending  from  the 
fertile  plains  of  East  Lothian,  there  stood  in  former  times  an 
extensive  castle,  of  which  only  the  ruins  are  now  visible.     Its 
'  [See  Lockhart's  Life  of  Scott,  vol.  vi.  pp.  66,  etc.] 

3 


34  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

ancient  proprietors  were  a  race  of  powerful  and  warlike  bar- 
ons, who  bore  the  same  name  with  the  castle  itself,  which  was 
Ravenswood.  Their  line  extended  to  a  remote  period  of  an- 
tiquity, and  they  had  intermarried  with  the  Douglasses,  Humes, 
Swintons,  Hays,  and  other  families  of  power  and  distinction 
in  the  same  country.  Their  history  was  frequently  involved 
in  that  of  Scotland  itself,  in  whose  annals  their  feats  are  re- 
corded. The  Castle  of  Ravenswood,  occupying,  and  in  some 
measure  commanding,  a  pass  betwixt  Berwickshire,  or  the 
Merse,  as  the  southeastern  province  of  Scotland  is  termed,  and 
the  Lothians,  was  of  importance  both  in  times  of  foreign  war 
and  domestic  discord.  It  was  frequently  besieged  with  ar- 
dour, and  defended  with  obstinacy,  and,  of  course,  its  own- 
ers played  a  conspicuous  part "" in  story.  But  their  house  had 
its  revolutions,  like  all  sublunary  things :  it  became  greatly 
declined  from  its  splendour  about  the  middle  of  the  17th  cen- 
tury; and  towards  the  period  of  the  Revolution,  the  last  pro- 
prietor of  Ravenswood  Castle  saw  himself  compelled  to  part 
with  the  ancient  family  seat,  and  to  remove  himseK  to  a  lonely 
and  sea-beaten  tower,  which,  situated  on  the  bleak  shores  be- 
tween St.  Abb's  Head  and  the  village  of  Eyemouth,  looked 
out  on  the  lonely  and  boisterous  German  Ocean.  A  black  do- 
main of  wild  pasture-land  surrounded  their  new  residence,  and 
formed  the  remains  of  their  property. 

Lord  Ravenswood,  the  heir  of  this  ruined  family,  was  far 
from  bending  his  mind  to  his  new  condition  of  life.  In  the 
civil  war  of  1689  he  had  espoused  the  sinking  side,  and  al- 
though he  had  escaped  without  the  forfeiture  of  life  or  land, 
his  blood  had  been  attainted,  and  his  title  abolished.  He  was 
now  called  Lord  Ravenswood  only  in  courtesy. 

This  forfeited  nobleman  inherited  the  pride  and  turbulence, 
though  not  the  fortune,  of  his  house,  and,  as  he  imputed  the 
final  declension  of  his  family  to  a  particular  individual,  he 
honoured  that  person  with  his  full  portion  of  hatred.  This 
was  the  very  man  who  had  now  become,  by  purchase,  propri- 
etor of  Ravenswood,  and  the  domains  of  which  the  heir  of 
the  house  now  stood  dispossessed.  He  was  descended  of  a 
family  much  less  ancient  than  that  of  Lord  Ravenswood,  and 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  35 

which  had  only  risen  to  wealth  and  political  importance  dur- 
ing the  great  civil  wars.  He  himself  had  been  bred  to  the 
bar,  and  had  held  high  offices  in  the  state,  maintaining  through 
life  the  character  of  a  skilful  fisher  in  the  troubled  waters  of 
a  state  divided  by  factions,  and  governed  by  delegated  author- 
ity ;  and  of  one  who  contrived  to  amass  considerable  sums  of 
money  in  a  country  where  there  was  but  little  to  be  gathered, 
and  who  equally  knew  the  value  of  wealth  and  the  various 
means  of  augmenting  it  and  using  it  as  an  engine  of  increas- 
ing his  power  and  influence. 

Thus  qualified  and  gifted,  he  was  a  dangerous  antagonist  to 
the  fierce  and  imprudent  Ravenswood.  Whether  he  had  given 
him  good  cause  for  the  enmity  with  which  the  Baron  regarded 
him,  was  a  point  on  which  men  spoke  differently.  Some  said 
the  quarrel  arose  merely  from  the  vindictive  spirit  and  envy 
of  Lord  Ravenswood,  who  could  not  patiently  behold  another, 
though  by  just  and  fair  purchase,  become  the  proprietor  of  the 
estate  and  castle  of  his  forefathers.  But  the  greater  part  of 
the  public,  prone  to  slander  the  wealthy  in  their  absence  as  to 
flatter  them  in  their  presence,  held  a  less  charitable  opinion. 
They  said  that  the  Lord  Keeper  (for  to  this  height  Sir  Wil- 
liam Ashton  had  ascended)  had,  previous  to  the  final  purchase 
of  the  estate  of  Ravenswood,  been  concerned  in  extensive  pe- 
cuniary transactions  with  the  former  proprietor;  and,  rather 
intimating  what  was  probable  than  affirming  anything  posi- 
tively, they  asked  which  party  was  likely  to  have  the  advan- 
tage in  stating  and  enforcing  the  claims  arising  out  of  these 
complicated  affairs,  and  more  than  hinted  the  advantages  which 
the  cool  lawyer  and  able  politician  must  necessarily  possess 
over  the  hot,  fiery,  and  imprudent  character  whom  he  had  in- 
volved in  legal  toils  and  pecuniary  snares. 

The  character  of  the  times  aggravated  these  suspicions. 
"In  those  days  there  was  no  king  in  Israel."  Since  the  de- 
parture of  James  YI.  to  assume  the  richer  and  more  powerful 
crown  of  England,  there  had  existed  in  Scotland  contending 
parties,  formed  among  the  aristocracy,  by  whom,  as  their  in- 
trigues at  the  court  of  St.  James's  chanced  to  prevail,  the 
delegated  powers  of  sovereignty  were  alternately  swayed.     The 


36  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

evils  attending  upon  this  system  of  government  resembled 
those  which  afflict  the  tenants  of  an  Irish  estate,  the  property 
of  an  absentee.  There  was  no  supreme  power,  claiming  and 
possessing  a  general  interest  with  the  community  at  large,  to 
whom  the  oppressed  might  appeal  from  subordinate  tyranny, 
either  for  justice  or  for  mercy.  Let  a  monarch  be  as  indolent, 
as  selfish,  as  much  disposed  to  arbitrary  power  as  he  will, 
still,  in  a  free  country,  his  own  interests  are  so  clearly  con- 
nected with  those  of  the  public  at  large,  and  the  evil  conse- 
quences to  his  own  authority  are  so  obvious  and  imminent 
when  a  different  course  is  pursued,  that  common  policy,  as 
well  as  common  feeling,  point  to  the  equal  distribution  of 
justice,  and  to  the  establishment  of  the  throne  in  righteous- 
ness. Thus,  even  sovereigns  remarkable  for  usurpation  and 
tyranny  have  been  found  rigorous  in  the  administration  of  jus- 
tice among  their  subjects,  in  cases  where  their  own  power  and 
passions  were  not  compromised. 

It  is  very  different  when  the  powers  of  sovereignty  are  dele- 
gated to  the  head  of  an  aristocratic  faction,  rivalled  and  pressed 
closely  in  the  race  of  ambition  by  an  adverse  leader.  His  brief 
and  precarious  enjoyment  of  power  must  be  employed  in  re- 
warding his  partizans,  in  extending  his  influence,  in  oppress- 
ing and  crushing  his  adversaries.  Even  Abou  Hassan,  the 
most  disinterested  of  all  viceroys,  forgot  not,  during  his  caliph- 
ate of  one  day,  to  send  a  douceur  of  one  thousand  pieces  of  gold 
to  his  own  household;  and  the  Scottish  vicegerents,  raised  to 
power  by  the  strength  of  their  faction,  failed  not  to  embrace 
the  same  means  of  rewarding  them. 

The  administration  of  justice,  in  particular,  was  infected  by 
the  most  gross  partiality.  A  case  of  importance  scarcely  oc- 
curred in  which  there  was  not  some  ground  for  bias  or  par- 
tiality on  the  part  of  the  judges,  who  were  so  little  able  to  with- 
stand the  temptation  that  the  adage,  "  Show  me  the  man,  and 
I  will  show  you  the  law,"  became  as  prevalent  as  it  was  scan- 
dalous. One  corruption  led  the  way  to  others  still  more  gross 
and  profligate.  The  judge  who  lent  his  sacred  authority  in 
one  case  to  support  a  friend,  and  in  another  to  crush  an  enemy, 
and  whose  decisions  were  founded  on  family  connexions  or 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  37 

political  relations,  could  not  be  supposed  inaccessible  to  direct 
personal  motives ;  and  the  purse  of  the  wealthy  was  too  often 
believed  to  be  thrown  into  the  scale  to  weigh  down  the  cause 
of  the  poor  litigant.  The  subordinate  officers  of  the  law  af- 
fected little  scruple  concerning  bribery.  Pieces  of  plate  and 
bags  of  money  were  sent  in  presents  to  the  king's  counsel,  to 
influence  their  conduct,  and  poured  forth,  says  a  contemporary 
writer,  like  billets  of  wood  upon  their  floors,  without  even  the 
decency  of  concealment. 

In  such  times,  it  was  not  over  uncharitable  to  suppose  that 
the  statesman,  practised  in  courts  of  law,  and  a  powerful 
member  of  a  triumphant  cabal,  might  find  and  use  means  of 
advantage  over  his  less  skilful  and  less  favoured  adversary; 
and  if  it  had  been  supposed  that  Sir  William  Ashton's  con- 
science had  been  too  delicate  to  profit  by  these  advantages,  it 
was  believed  that  his  ambition  and  desire  of  extending  his 
wealth  and  consequence  found  as  strong  a  stimulus  in  the  ex- 
hortations of  his  lady  as  the  daring  aim  of  Macbeth  in  the 
days  of  yore. 

Lady  Ashton  was  of  a  family  more  distinguished  than  that 
of  her  lord,  an  advantage  which  she  did  not  fail  to  use  to  the 
uttermost,  in  maintaining  and  extending  her  husband's  influ- 
ence over  others,  and,  unless  she  was  greatly  belied,  her  own 
over  him.  She  had  been  beautiful,  and  was  stately  and  majestic 
in  her  appearance.  Endowed  by  nature  with  strong  powers 
and  violent  passions,  experience  had  taught  her  to  employ 
the  one,  and  to  conceal,  if  not  to  moderate,  the  other.  She 
was  a  severe  and  strict  observer  of  the  external  forms,  at  least, 
of  devotion ;  her  hospitality  was  splendid,  even  to  ostentation ; 
her  address  and  manners,  agreeable  to  the  pattern  most  valued 
in  Scotland  at  the  period,  were  grave,  dignified,  and  severely 
regulated  by  the  rules  of  etiquette.  Her  character  had  always 
been  beyond  the  breath  of  slander.  And  yet,  with  all  these 
qualities  to  excite  respect.  Lady  Ashton  was  seldom  men- 
tioned in  the  terms  of  love  or  affection.  Interest — the  inter- 
est of  her  family,  if  not  her  own — seemed  too  obviously  the 
motive  of  her  actions;  and  where  this  is  the  case,  the  sharp- 
judging  and  malignant  public  are  not  easily  imposed  upon  by 


38  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

outward  show.  It  was  seen  and  ascertained  that,  in  her  most 
graceful  courtesies  and  compliments,  Lady  Ashton  no  more 
lost  sight  of  her  object  than  the  falcon  in  his  airy  wheel  turns 
his  quick  eyes  from  his  destined  quarry;  and  hence,  some- 
thing of  doubt  and  suspicion  qualified  the  feelings  with  which 
her  equals  received  her  attentions.  With  her  inferiors  these 
feelings  were  mingled  with  fear;  an  impression  useful  to  her 
purposes,  so  far  as  it  enforced  ready  compliance  with  her  re- 
quests and  implicit  obedience  to  her  commands,  but  detrimen- 
tal, because  it  cannot  exist  Avith  affection  or  regard. 

Even  her  husband,  it  is  said,  upon  whose  fortunes  her  talents 
and  address  had  produced  such  emphatic  influence,  regarded 
her  with  respectful  awe  rather  than  confiding  attachment; 
and  report  said,  there  were  times  when  he  considered  his 
grandeur  as  dearly  purchased  at  the  expense  of  domestic 
thraldom.  Of  this,  however,  much  might  be  suspected,  but 
little  could  be  accurately  known :  Lady  Ashton  regarded  the 
honour  of  her  husband  as  her  own,  and  was  well  aware  how 
much  that  would  suffer  in  the  public  eye  should  he  appear  a 
vassal  to  his  wife.  In  all  her  arguments  his  opinion  was 
quoted  as  infallible ;  his  taste  was  appealed  to,  and  his  senti- 
ments received,  with  the  air  of  deference  which  a  dutiful  wife 
might  seem  to  owe  to  a  husband  of  Sir  William  Ashton' s  rank 
and  character.  But  there  was  something  under  all  this  which 
rung  false  and  hollow;  and  to  those  who  watched  this  couple 
with  close,  and  perhaps  malicious,  scrutiny  it  seemed  evident 
that,  in  the  haughtiness  of  a  firmer  character,  higher  birth, 
and  more  decided  views  of  aggrandisement,  the  lady  looked 
with  some  contempt  on  her  husband,  and  that  he  regarded 
her  with  jealous  fear,  rather  than  with  love  or  admiration. 

Still,  however,  the  leading  and  favourite  interests  of  Sir 
William  Ashton  and  his  lady  were  the  same,  and  they  failed 
not  to  work  in  concert,  although  without  cordiality,  and  to 
testify,  in  all  exterior  circumstances,  that  respect  for  each 
other  which  they  were  aware  was  necessary  to  secure  that  of 
the  public. 

Their  union  was  crowned  with  several  children,  of  whom 
three   survived.      One,   the   eldest   son,   was  absent  on   his 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  39 

travels ;  the  second,  a  girl  of  seventeen,  and  the  third,  a  boy 
about  three  years  younger,  resided  with  their  parents  in  Edin- 
burgh during  the  sessions  of  the  Scottish  Parliament  and 
Privy  Council,  at  other  times  in  the  old  Gothic  castle  of 
Kavenswood,  to  which  the  Lord  Keeper  had  made  large  addi- 
tions in  the  style  of  the  17th  century. 

Allan  Lord  Ravenswood,  the  late  proprietor  of  that  ancient 
mansion  and  the  large  estate  annexed  to  it,  continued  for  some 
time  to  wage  ineffectual  war  with  his  successor  concerning 
various  points  to  which  their  former  transactions  had  given 
rise,  and  which  were  successively  determined  in  favour  of  the 
wealthy  and  powerful  competitor,  until  death  closed  the  litiga- 
tion, by  summoning  E,avenswood  to  a  higher  bar.  The  thread 
of  life,  which  had  been  long  wasting,  gave  way  during  a  fit  of 
violent  and  impotent  fury  with  which  he  was  assailed  on  re- 
ceiving the  news  of  the  loss  of  a  cause,  founded,  perhaps, 
rather  in  equity  than  in  law,  the  last  which  he  had  maintained 
against  his  powerful  antagonist.  His  son  witnessed  his  dying 
agonies,  and  heard  the  curses  which  he  breathed  against  his 
adversary,  as  if  they  had  conveyed  to  him  a  legacy  of  ven- 
geance. Other  circumstances  happened  to  exasperate  a  pas- 
sion which  was,  and  had  long  been,  a  prevalent  vice  in  the 
Scottish  disposition. 

It  was  a  November  morning,  and  the  cliffs  which  overlooked 
the  ocean  were  hung  with  thick  and  heavy  mist,  when  the  por- 
tals of  the  ancient  and  half -ruinous  tower,  in  which  Lord  Ea- 
venswood  had  spent  the  last  and  troubled  years  of  his  life, 
opened,  that  his  mortal  remains  might  pass  forward  to  an 
abode  yet  more  dreary  and  lonely.  The  pomp  of  attendance, 
to  which  the  deceased  had,  in  his  latter  years,  been  a  stranger, 
was  revived  as  he  was  about  to  be  consigned  to  the  realms  of 
forgetfulness. 

Banner  after  banner,  with  the  various  devices  and  coats  of 
this  ancient  family  and  its  connexions,  followed  each  other  in 
mournful  procession  from  under  the  low-browed  archway  of 
the  courtyard.  The  principal  gentry  of  the  country  attended 
in  the  deepest  mourning,  and  tempered  the  pace  of  their  long 
train  of  horses  to  the  solemn  march  befitting  the  occasion. 


40  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

Trumpets,  with  banners  of  crape  attached  to  them,  sent  forth 
their  long  and  melancholy  notes  to  regulate  the  movements  of 
the  procession.  An  immense  train  of  inferior  mourners  and 
menials  closed  the  rear,  which  had  not  yet  issued  from  the 
castle  gate  when  the  van  had  reached  the  chapel  where  the 
body  was  to  be  deposited. 

Contrary  to  the  custom,  and  even  to  the  law,  of  the  time, 
the  body  was  met  by  a  priest  of  the  Scottish  Episcopal  com- 
munion, arrayed  in  his  surplice,  and  prepared  to  read  over  the 
coffin  of  the  deceased  the  funeral  service  of  the  church.  Such 
had  been  the  desire  of  Lord  Ravenswood  in  his  last  illness,  and 
it  was  readily  complied  with  by  the  Tory  gentlemen,  or  Cava- 
liers, as  they  affected  to  style  themselves,  in  which  faction  most 
of  his  kinsmen  were  enrolled.  The  Presbyterian  Church  judi- 
catory of  the  bounds,  considering  the  ceremony  as  a  bravading 
insult  upon  their  authority,  had  applied  to  the  Lord  Keeper, 
as  the  nearest  privy  councillor,  for  a  warrant  to  prevent  its 
being  carried  into  effect;  so  that,  when  the  clergyman  had 
opened  his  prayer-book,  an  officer  of  the  law,  supported  by 
some  armed  men,  commanded  him  to  be  silent.  An  insult 
which  fired  the  whole  assembly  with  indignation  was  particu- 
larly and  instantly  resented  by  the  only  son  of  the  deceased, 
Edgar,  popularly  called  the  Master  of  Ravenswood,  a  youth 
of  about  twenty  years  of  age.  He  clapped  his  hand  on  his 
sword,  and  bidding  the  official  person  to  desist  at  his  peril  from 
farther  interruption,  commanded  the  clergyman  to  proceed. 
The  man  attempted  to  enforce  his  commission ;  but  as  an  hun- 
dred swords  at  once  glittered  in  the  air,  he  contented  himself 
with  protesting  against  the  violence  which  had  been  offered  to 
him  in  the  execution  of  his  duty,  and  stood  aloof,  a  sullen  and 
moody  spectator  of  the  ceremonial,  muttering  as  one  who  should 
say:  "  You'll  rue  the  day  that  clogs  me  with  this  answer." 

The  scene  was  worthy  of  an  artist's  pencil.  Under  the  very 
arch  of  the  house  of  death,  the  clergyman,  affrighted  at  the 
scene,  and  trembling  for  his  own  safety,  hastily  and  unwill- 
ingly rehearsed  the  solemn  service  of  the  church,  and  spoke 
*'  dust  to  dust  and  ashes  to  ashes, "  over  ruined  pride  and  de- 
cayed prosperity.     Around  stood  the  relations  of  the  deceased, 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  41 

their  countenances  more  in  anger  than  in  sorrow,  and  the  drawn 
swords  which  they  brandished  forming  a  violent  contrast  with 
their  deep  mourning  habits.  In  the  countenance  of  the  young 
man  alone,  resentment  seemed  for  the  moment  overpowered 
by  the  deep  agony  with  which  he  beheld  his  nearest,  and  al- 
most his  only,  friend  consigned  to  the  tomb  of  his  ancestry. 
A  relative  observed  him  turn  deadly  pale,  when,  all  rites  being 
now  duly  observed,  it  became  the  duty  of  the  chief  mourner 
to  lower  down  into  the  charnel  vault,  where  mouldering  coffins 
showed  their  tattered  velvet  and  decayed  plating,  the  head  of 
the  corpse  which  was  to  be  their  partner  in  corruption.  He 
stept  to  the  youth  and  offered  his  assistance,  which,  by  a  mute 
motion,  Edgar  Ravens  wood  rejected.  Eirmly,  and  without  a 
tear,  he  performed  that  last  duty.  The  stone  was  laid  on  the 
sepulchre,  the  door  of  the  aisle  was  locked,  and  the  youth  took 
possession  of  its  massive  key. 

As  the  crowd  left  the  chapel,  he  paused  on  the  steps  which 
led  to  its  Gothic  chancel.  "  Gentlemen  and  friends, "  he  said, 
"you  have  this  day  done  no  common  duty  to  the  body  of  your 
deceased  kinsman.  The  rites  of  due  observance,  which,  in 
other  countries,  are  allowed  as  the  due  of  the  meanest  Chris- 
tian, would  this  day  have  been  denied  to  the  body  of  your 
relative — not  certainly  sprung  of  the  meanest  house  in  Scot- 
land— had  it  not  been  assured  to  him  by  your  courage. 
Others  bury  their  dead  in  sorrow  and  tears,  in  silence  and  in 
reverence;  our  funeral  rites  are  marred  by  the  intrusion  of 
bailiffs  and  ruffians,  and  our  grief — the  grief  due  to  our  de- 
parted friend — is  chased  from  our  cheeks  by  the  glow  of  just 
indignation.  But  it  is  well  that  I  know  from  what  quiver 
this  arrow  has  come  forth.  It  was  only  he  that  dug  the  grave 
who  could  have  the  mean  cruelty  to  disturb  the  obsequies ;  and 
Heaven  do  as  much  to  me  and  more,  if  I  requite  not  to  this 
man  and  his  house  the  ruin  and  disgrace  he  has  brought  on  me 
and  mine!" 

A  numerous  part  of  the  assembly  applauded  this  speech,  as 
the  spirited  expression  of  just  resentment;  but  the  more  cool 
and  judicious  regretted  that  it  had  been  uttered.  The  for- 
tunes of  the  heir  of  Ravenswood  were  too  low  to  brave  the 


42  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

farther  hostility  which  they  imagined  these  open  expressions 
of  resentment  must  necessarily  provoke.  Their  apprehensions, 
however,  proved  groundless,  at  least  in  the  immediate  conse- 
quences of  this  affair. 

The  mourners  returned  to  the  tower,  there,  according  to  a 
custom  but  recently  abolished  in  Scotland,  to  carouse  deep 
healths  to  the  memory  of  the  deceased,  to  make  the  house  of 
sorrow  ring  with  sounds  of  joviality  and  debauch,  and  to  di- 
minish, by  the  expense  of  a  large  and  profuse  entertainment, 
the  limited  revenues  of  the  heir  of  him  whose  funeral  they 
thus  strangely  honoured.  It  was  the  custom,  however,  and 
on  the  present  occasion  it  was  fully  observed.  The  tables 
swam  in  wine,  the  populace  feasted  in  the  courtyard,  the  yeo- 
men in  the  kitchen  and  buttery ;  and  two  years'  rent  of  Ravens- 
wood's  remaining  property  hardly  defrayed  the  charge  of  the 
funeral  revel.  The  wine  did  its  office  on  all  but  the  Master 
of  Ravenswood,  a  title  which  he  still  retained,  though  forfeit- 
ure had  attached  to  that  of  his  father.  He,  while  passing 
around  the  cup  which  he  himself  did  not  taste,  soon  listened 
to  a  thousand  exclamations  against  the  Lord  Keeper,  and  pas- 
sionate protestations  of  attachment  to  himself,  and  to  the 
honour  of  his  house.  He  listened  with  dark  and  sullen  brow 
to  ebullitions  which  he  considered  justly  as  equally  evanescent 
with  the  crimson  bubbles  on  the  brink  of  the  goblet,  or  at 
least  with  the  vapours  which  its  contents  excited  in  the  brains 
of  the  revellers  around  him. 

When  the  last  flask  was  emptied,  they  took  their  leave  with 
deep  protestations — to  be  forgotten  on  the  morrow,  if,  indeed, 
those  who  made  them  should  not  think  it  necessary  for  their 
safety  to  make  a  more  solemn  retractation. 

Accepting  their  adieus  with  an  air  of  contempt  which  he 
could  scarce  conceal,  Ravenswood  at  length  beheld  his  ruinous 
habitation  cleared  of  this  confluence  of  riotous  guests,  and  re- 
turned to  the  deserted  hall,  which  now  appeared  doubly  lonely 
from  the  cessation  of  that  clamour  to  which  it  had  so  lately 
echoed.  But  its  space  was  peopled  by  phantoms  which  the 
imagination  of  the  young  heir  conjured  up  before  him — the 
tarnished  honour   and  degraded  fortunes  of  his   house,  the 


THE  BRIDE   OP  LAMMERMOOR.  43 

destruction  of  his  own  hopes,  and  the  triumph  of  that  family 
by  whom  they  had  been  ruined.  To  a  mind  naturally  of  a 
gloomy  cast  here  was  ample  room  for  meditation,  and  the 
musings  of  young  Ravenswood  were  deep  and  unwitnessed. 

The  peasant  who  shows  the  ruins  of  the  tower,  which  still 
crown  the  beetling  cliff  and  behold  the  war  of  the  waves, 
though  no  more  tenanted  saved  by  the  sea-mew  and  cormo- 
rant, even  yet  affirms  that  on  this  fatal  night  the  Master  of 
Ravenswood,  by  the  bitter  exclamations  of  his  despair,  evoked 
some  evil  fiend,  under  whose  malignant  influence  the  future 
tissue  of  incidents  was  woven.  Alas!  what  fiend  can  suggest 
more  desperate  counsels  than  those  adopted  under  the  guidance 
of  our  own  violent  and  unresisted  passions? 


CHAPTER   III. 


Over  Gods  forebode,  then  said  the  King, 
That  thou  shouldst  shoot  at  me. 

William  Bell,  dim  o'  the  Cleugh,  etc. 

On  the  morning  after  the  funeral,  the  legal  officer  whose 
authority  had  been  found  insufficient  to  effect  an  interruption 
of  the  funeral  solemnities  of  the  late  Lord  Ravenswood,  has- 
tened to  state  before  the  Keeper  the  resistance  which  he  had 
met  with  in  the  execution  of  his  office. 

The  statesman  was  seated  in  a  spacious  library,  once  a  ban- 
queting-room  in  the  old  Castle  of  Ravenswood,  as  was  evident 
from  the  armorial  insignia  still  displayed  on  the  carved  roof, 
which  was  vaulted  with  Spanish  chestnut,  and  on  the  stained 
glass  of  the  casement,  through  which  gleamed  a  dim  yet  rich 
light  on  the  long  rows  of  shelves,  bending  under  the  weight  of 
legal  commentators  and  monkish  historians,  whose  ponderous 
volumes  formed  the  chief  and  most  valued  contents  of  a  Scot- 
tish historian  [library]  of  the  period.  On  the  massive  oaken 
table  and  reading-desk  lay  a  confused  mass  of  letters,  peti- 
tions, and  parchments ;  to  toil  amongst  which  was  the  pleas- 
ure at  once  and  the  plague  of  Sir  William  Ashton's  life.     His 


44  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

appearance  was  grave  and  even  noble,  well  becoming  one  who 
held  an  high  office  in  the  state ;  and  it  was  not  save  after  long 
and  intimate  conversation  with  him  upon  topics  of  pressing 
and  personal  interest,  that  a  stranger  could  have  discovered 
something  vacillating  and  uncertain  in  his  resolutions;  an 
infirmity  of  purpose,  arising  from  a  cautious  and  timid  dis- 
position, which,  as  he  was  conscious  of  its  internal  influence 
on  his  mind,  he  was,  from  pride  as  well  as  policy,  most  anx- 
ious to  conceal  from  others. 

He  listened  with  great  apparent  composure  to  an  exagger- 
ated account  of  the  tumult  which  had  taken  place  at  the 
funeral,  of  the  contempt  thrown  on  his  own  authority  and 
that  of  the  church  and  state;  nor  did  he  seem  moved  even  by 
the  faithful  report  of  the  insulting  and  threatening  language 
which  had  been  uttered  by  young  Eavenswood  and  others,  and 
obviously  directed  against  himself.  He  heard,  also,  what  the 
man  had  been  able  to  collect,  in  a  very  distorted  and  aggra- 
vated shape,  of  the  toasts  which  had  been  drunk,  and  the 
menaces  uttered,  at  the  subsequent  entertainment.  In  fine, 
he  made  careful  notes  of  all  these  particulars,  and  of  the 
names  of  the  persons  by  whom,  in  case  of  need,  an  accusation, 
founded  upon  these  violent  proceedings,  could  be  witnessed 
and  made  good,  and  dismissed  his  informer,  secure  that  he 
was  now  master  of  the  remaining  fortune,  and  even  of  the 
personal  liberty,  of  young  Ravenswood. 

When  the  door  had  closed  upon  the  officer  of  the  law,  the 
Lord  Keeper  remained  for  a  moment  in  deep  meditation; 
then,  starting  from  his  seat,  paced  the  apartment  as  one  about 
to  take  a  sudden  and  energetic  resolution.  "  Young  Ravens- 
wood,  "  he  muttered,  "  is  now  mine — he  is  my  own ;  he  has 
placed  himself  in  my  hand,  and  he  shall  bend  or  break.  I 
have  not  forgot  the  determined  and  dogged  obstinacy  with 
which  his  father  fought  every  point  to  the  last,  resisted  every 
effort  at  compromise,  embroiled  me  m  lawsuits,  and  attempted 
to  assail  my  character  when  he  could  not  otherwise  impugn  my 
rights.  This  boy  he  has  left  behind  him — this  Edgar— this 
hot-headed,  hare-brained  fool,  has  wrecked  his  vessel  before 
she  has  cleared  the  'harbor.     I  must  see  that  he  gains  no  ad- 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  45 

vantage  of  some  turning  tide  which  may  again  float  him  off. 
These  memoranda,  properly  stated  to  the  privy  council,  can- 
not but  be  construed  into  an  aggravated  riot,  in  which  the 
dignity  both  of  the  civil  and  ecclesiastical  authorities  stands 
committed.  A  heavy  fine  might  be  imposed;  an  order  for 
committing  him  to  Edinburgh  or  Blackness  Castle  seems  not 
improper ;  even  a  charge  of  treason  might  be  laid  on  many  of 
these  words  and  expressions,  though  God  forbid  I  should 
prosecute  the  matter  to  that  extent.  No,  I  will  not;  I  wUl 
not  touch  his  life,  even  if  it  should  be  in  my  power ;  and  yet, 
if  he  lives  till  a  change  of  times,  what  follows?  Restitution — 
perhaps  revenge.  I  know  Athole  promised  his  interest  to  old 
Ravenswood,  and  here  is  his  son  already  bandying  and  making 
a  faction  by  his  own  contemptible  influence.  What  a  ready 
tool  he  would  be  for  the  use  of  those  who  are  watching  the 
downfall  of  our  administration!" 

While  these  thoughts  Avere  agitating  the  mind  of  the  wily 
statesman,  and  while  he  was  persuading  himself  that  his  own 
interest  and  safety,  as  well  as  those  of  his  friends  and  party, 
depended  on  using  the  present  advantage  to  the  uttermost 
against  young  Ravenswood,  the  Lord  Keeper  sate  down  to  his 
desk,  and  proceeded  to  draw  up,  for  the  information  of  the 
privy  council,  an  account  of  the  disorderly  proceedings  which, 
in  contempt  of  his  warrant,  had  taken  place  at  the  funeral 
of  Lord  Ravenswood.  The  names  of  most  of  the  parties  con- 
cerned, as  well  as  the  fact  itself,  would,  he  was  well  aware, 
sound  odiously  in  the  ears  of  his  colleagues  in  administration, 
and  most  likely  instigate  them  to  make  an  example  of  young 
Raveswood,  at  least,  in  terrorem. 

It  was  a  point  of  delicacy,  however,  to  select  such  expres- 
sions as  might  infer  the  young  man's  culpability,  without 
seeming  directly  to  urge  it,  which,  on  the  part  of  Sir  William 
Ashton,  his  father's  ancient  antagonist,  could  not  but  appear 
odious  and  invidious.  While  he  was  in  the  act  of  composi- 
tion, labouring  to  find  words  "which  might  indicate  Edgar 
Ravenswood  to  be  the  cause  of  the  uproar,  without  specifically 
making  such  a  charge.  Sir  William,  in  a  pause  of  his  task, 
chanced,  in  looking  upward,  to  see  the  crest  of  the  family 


46  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

for  Avliose  heir  he  was  whettmg  the  arrows  and  disposing 
the  toils  of  the  law  carved  upon  one  of  the  corbeilles  from 
which  the  vaulted  roof  of  the  apartment  sprung.  It  was  a 
black  bull's  head,  with  the  legend,  "I  bide  my  time";  and 
the  occasion  upon  which  it  was  adopted  mingled  itself  sin- 
gularly and  impressively  with  the  subject  of  his  present  re- 
flections. 

It  was  said  by  a  constant  tradition  that  a  Malisius  de  Eavens- 
wood  had,  in  the  13th  century,  been  deprived  of  his  castle  and 
lands  by  a  powerful  usurper,  who  had  for  a  while  enjoyed  his 
spoils  in  quiet.  At  length,  on  the  eve  of  a  costly  banquet, 
Ravenswood,  who  had  watched  his  opportunity,  introduced 
himself  into  the  castle  with  a  small  band  of  faithful  retainers. 
The  serving  of  the  expected  feast  was  impatiently  looked  for 
by  the  guests,  and  clamorously  demanded  by  the  temporary 
master  of  the  castle.  Ravenswood,  who  had  assumed  the  dis- 
guise of  a  sewer  upon  the  occasion,  answered,  in  a  stern  voice, 
"  I  bide  my  time  "  ;  and  at  the  same  moment  a  bull's  head,  the 
ancient  symbol  of  death,  was  placed  upon  the  table.  The  ex- 
plosion of  the  conspiracy  took  place  upon  the  signal,  and  the 
usurper  and  his  followers  were  put  to  death.  Perhaps  there 
was  something  in  this  still  known  and  often  repeated  story 
which  came  immediately  home  to  the  breast  and  conscience 
of  the  Lord  Keeper;  for,  putting  from  him  the  paper  on 
which  he  had  begun  his  report,  and  carefully  locking  the 
memoranda  which  he  had  prepared  into  a  cabinet  which  stood 
beside  him,  he  proceeded  to  walk  abroad,  as  if  for  the  purpose 
of  collecting  his  ideas,  and  reflecting  farther  on  the  conse- 
quences of  the  step  which  he  was  about  to  take,  ere  yet  they 
became  inevitable. 

In  passing  through  a  large  Gothic  ante-room.  Sir  William 
Ashton  heard  the  sound  of  his  daughter's  lute.  Music,  when 
the  performers  are  concealed,  affects  us  with  a  pleasure  mingled 
with  surprise,  and  reminds  us  of  the  natural  concert  of  birds 
among  the  leafy  bowers.  The  statesman,  though  little  ac- 
customed to  give  way  to  emotions  of  this  natural  and  simple 
class,  was  still  a  man  and  a  father.  He  stopped,  therefore, 
and  listened,  while  the  silver  tones  of  Lucy  Ashton's  voice 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  47 

mingled  with  the  accompaniment  in  an  ancient  air,  to  which 
some  one  had  adapted  the  follow mg  words : 

"  Look  not  thou  on  beauty's  charming, 
Sit  thou  still  when  kings  are  arming, 
Taste  not  when  the  wine-cup  glistens. 
Speak  not  when  the  people  listens, 
Stop  thine  ear  against  the  singer, 
From  the  red  gold  keep  thy  finger, 
Vacant  heart,  and  hand,  and  eye, 
Easy  live  and  quiet  die." 

The  sounds  ceased,  and  the  Keeper  entered  his  daughter's 
apartment. 

The  words  she  had  chosen  seemed  particularly  adapted 
to  her  character;  for  Lucy  Ashton's  exquisitely  beautiful,  yet 
somewhat  girlish  features  were  formed  to  express  peace  of 
mind,  serenity,  and  indifference  to  the  tinsel  of  worldly  pleas- 
ure. Her  locks,  which  were  of  shadowy  gold,  divided  on  a  brow 
of  exquisite  whiteness,  like  a  gleam  of  broken  and  pallid  sun- 
shine upon  a  hill  of  snow.  The  expression  of  the  countenance 
was  in  the  last  degree  gentle,  soft,  timid,  and  feminine,  and 
seemed  rather  to  shrink  from  the  most  casual  look  of  a  stranger 
than  to  court  his  admiration.  Something  there  was  of  a  Ma- 
donna cast,  perhaps  the  result  of  delicate  health,  and  of  resi- 
dence in  a  family  where  the  dispositions  of  the  inmates  were 
fiercer,  more  active,  and  energetic  than  her  own. 

Yet  her  passiveness  of  disposition  was  by  no  means  owing  to 
an  indifferent  or  unfeeling  mind.  Left  to  the  impulse  of  her 
own  taste  and  feelings,  Lucy  Ashton  was  peculiarly  accessible 
to  those  of  a  romantic  cast.  Her  secret  delight  was  in  the  old 
legendary  tales  of  ardent  devotion  and  unalterable  affection, 
chequered  as  they  so  often  are  with  strange  adventures  and 
supernatural  horrors.  This  was  her  favoured  fairy  realm,  and 
here  she  erected  her  aerial  palaces.  But  it  was  only  in  secret 
that  she  laboured  at  this  delusive  though  delightful  architec- 
ture. In  her  retired  chamber,  or  in  the  woodland  bower 
which  she  had  chosen  for  her  own,  and  called  after  her  name, 
she  was  in  fancy  distributing  the  prizes  at  the  tournament,  or 
raining  down  influence  from  her  eyes  on  the  valiant  comba- 
tants;   or  she  was  wandering  in  the  wilderness  with  Una, 


48  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

under  escort  of  the  generous  lion ;  or  she  was  identifying  her- 
self with  the  simple  yet  noble-minded  Miranda  in  the  isle  of 
wonder  and  enchantment. 

But  in  her  exterior  relations  to  things  of  this  world,  Lucy 
willingly  received  the  ruling  impulse  from  those  around  her. 
The  alternative  was,  in  general,  too  indifferent  to  her  to  ren- 
der resistance  desirable,  and  she  willinglj^  found  a  motive  for 
decision  in  the  opinion  of  her  friends  which  perhaps  she 
might  have  sought  for  in  vain  in  her  own  choice.  Every 
reader  must  have  observed  in  some  family  of  his  acquaintance 
some  individual  of  a  temper  soft  and  yielding,  who,  mixed 
with  stronger  and  more  ardent  minds,  is  borne  along  by  the 
will  of  others,  with  as  little  power  of  opposition  as  the  flower 
which  is  flung  into  a  running  stream.  It  usually  happens 
that  such  a  compliant  and  easy  disposition,  which  resigns  it- 
self without  murmur  to  the  guidance  of  others,  becomes  the 
darling  of  those  to  whose  inclinations  its  own  seem  to  be 
offered,  in  ungrudging  and  ready  sacrifice. 

This  was  eminently  the  case  with  Lucy  Ashton.  Her 
politic,  wary,  and  worldly  father  felt  for  her  an  affection  the 
strength  of  which  sometimes  surprised  him  into  an  unusual 
emotion.  Her  elder  brother,  who  trode  the  path  of  ambition 
with  a  haughtier  step  than  his  father,  had  also  more  of  human 
affection.  A  soldier,  and  in  a  dissolute  age,  he  preferred  his 
sister  Lucy  even  to  pleasure  and  to  military  preferment  and 
distinction.  Her  younger  brother,  at  an  age  when  trifles 
chiefly  occupied  his  mind,  made  her  the  confidante  of  all  his 
pleasures  and  anxieties,  his  success  in  field-sports,  and  his  quar- 
rels with  his  tutor  and  instructors.  To  these  details,  however 
trivial,  Lucy  lent  patient  and  not  indifferent  attention.  They 
moved  and  interested  Henry,  and  that  was  enough  to  secure 
her  ear. 

Her  mother  alone  did  not  feel  that  distinguished  and  pre- 
dominating affection  with  which  the  rest  of  the  family  cher- 
ished Lucy.  She  regarded  what  she  termed  her  daughter's 
want  of  spirit  as  a  decided  mark  that  the  more  plebeian  blood 
of  her  father  predominated  in  Lucy's  veins,  and  used  to  call 
her  in  derision  lier  Lammermoor  Shepherdess.     To  dislike  so 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  49 

gentle  and  inoffensive  a  being  was  impossible ;  but  Lady  Ash- 
ton  preferred  her  eldest  son,  on  whom  had  descended  a  large 
portion  of  her  own  ambitious  and  undaunted  disposition,  to  a 
daughter  whose  softness  of  temper  seemed  allied  to  feebleness 
of  mind.  Her  eldest  son  was  the  more  partially  beloved  by 
his  mother  because,  contrary  to  the  usual  custom  of  Scottish 
families  of  distinction,  he  had  been  named  after  the  head  of 
the  house. 

"  My  Sholto, "  she  said,  "  will  support  the  untarnished  honour 
of  his  maternal  house,  and  elevate  and  support  that  of  his 
father.  Poor  Lucy  is  unfit  for  courts  or  crowded  halls. 
Some  country  laird  must  be  her  husband,  rich  enough  to  sup- 
ply her  with  every  comfort,  without  an  effort  on  her  own 
part,  so  that  she  may  have  nothing  to  shed  a  tear  for  but  the 
tender  apprehension  lest  he  may  break  his  neck  in  a  fox- 
chase.  It  was  not  so,  however,  that  our  house  was  raised, 
Lor  is  it  so  that  it  can  be  fortified  and  augmented.  The  Lord 
Keeper's  dignity  is  yet  new ;  it  must  be  borne  as  if  we  were 
used  to  its  weight,  worthy  of  it,  and  prompt  to  assert  and 
maintain  it.  Before  ancient  authorities  men  bend  from  cus- 
tomary and  hereditary  deference;  in  our  presence  they  will 
stand  erect,  unless  they  are  compelled  to  prostrate  themselves. 
A  daughter  fit  for  the  sheepfold  or  the  cloister  is  ill  qualified 
to  exact  respect  where  it  is  yielded  with  reluctance ;  and  since 
Heaven  refused  us  a  third  boy,  Lucy  should  have  held  a  char- 
acter fit  to  supply  his  place.  The  hour  will  be  a  happy  one 
which  disposes  her  hand  in  marriage  to  some  one  whose  energy 
is  greater  than  her  own,  or  whose  ambition  is  of  as  low  an 
order. " 

So  meditated  a  mother  to  whom  the  qualities  of  her  chil- 
dren's hearts,  as  well  as  the  prospect  of  their  domestic  happi- 
ness, seemed  light  in  comparison  to  their  rank  and  temporal 
greatness.  But,  like  many  a  parent  of  hot  and  impatient 
character,  she  was  mistaken  in  estimating  the  feelings  of  her 
daughter,  who,  under  a  semblance  of  extreme  indifference, 
nourished  the  germ  of  those  passions  which  sometimes  spring 
up  in  one  night,  like  the  gourd  of  the  prophet,  and  astonish 
the  observer  by  their  unexpected  ardour  and  intensity.  In 
4 


50  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

fact,  Lucy's  sentiments  seemed  chill  because  nothing  had  oc- 
curred to  interest  or  awaken  them.  Her  life  had  hitherto 
flowed  on  in  a  uniform  and  gentle  tenor,  and  happy  for  her 
had  not  its  present  smoothness  of  current  resembled  that  of 
the  stream  as  it  glides  downwards  to  the  waterfall! 

"  So,  Lucy, "  said  her  father,  entering  as  her  song  was  ended, 
"  does  your  musical  philosopher  teach  you  to  contemn  the  world 
before  you  know  it?  That  is  surely  something  premature.  Or 
did  you  but  speak  according  to  the  fashion  of  fair  maidens,  who 
are  always  to  hold  the  pleasures  of  life  in  contempt  till  they 
are  pressed  upon  them  by  the  address  of  some  gentle  knight?" 

Lucy -blushed,  disclaimed  any  inference  respecting  her  own 
choice  being  drawn  from  her  selection  of  a  song,  and  readily 
laid  aside  her  instrument  at  her  father's  request  that  she 
would  attend  him  in  his  walk. 

A  large  and  well-wooded  park,  or  rather  chase,  stretched 
along  the  hill  behind  the  castle,  which,  occupymg,  as  we  have 
noticed,  a  pass  ascending  from  the  plain,  seemed  built  in  its 
very  gorge  to  defend  the  forest  ground  which  arose  behind  it 
in  shaggy  majesty.  Into  this  romantic  region  the  father  and 
daughter  proceeded,  arm  in  arm,  by  a  noble  avenue  overarched 
by  embowering  elms,  beneath  which  groups  of  the  fallow-deer 
were  seen  to  stray  in  distant  perspective.  As  they  paced  slowly 
on,  admiring  the  different  points  of  view,  for  which  Sir  Wil- 
liam Ashton,  notwithstanding  the  nature  of  his  usual  avoca- 
tions, had  considerable  taste  and  feeling,  they  were  overtaken 
by  the  forester,  or  park-keeper,  who,  intent  on  silvan  sport, 
was  proceeding  with  his  cross-bow  over  his  arm,  and  a  hound 
led  in  leash  by  his  boy,  into  the  interior  of  the  wood. 

"Going  to  shoot  us  a  piece  of  venison,  Norman?"  said  his 
master,  as  he  returned  the  woodman's  salutation. 

"  Saul,  your  honour,  and  that  I  am.  Will  it  please  you  to 
see  the  sport?" 

"  Oh  no, "  said  his  lordship,  after  looking  at  his  daughter, 
whose  colour  fled*at  the  idea  of  seeing  the  deer  shot,  although, 
had  her  father  expressed  his  wish  that  they  should  accompany 
Norman,  it  was  probable  she  would  not  even  have  hmted  her 
reluctance. 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  51 

The  forester  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "  It  was  a  dishearten- 
ing thing, "  he  said,  "  when  none  of  the  gentles  came  down  to 
see  the  sport.  He  hoped  Captain  Sholto  would  be  soon  hame, 
or  he  might  shut  up  his  shop  entirely ;  for  Mr.  Harry  was  kept 
sae  close  wi'  his  Latin  nonsense  that,  though  his  will  was  very 
gude  to  be  in  the  wood  from  morning  till  night,  there  would 
be  a  hopeful  lad  lost,  and  no  making  a  man  of  him.  It  was 
not  so,  he  had  heard,  in  Lord  Ravenswood's  time:  when  a 
buck  was  to  be  killed,  man  and  mother's  son  ran  to  see;  and 
when  the  deer  fell,  the  knife  was  always  presented  to  the 
knight,  and  he  never  gave  less  than  a  dollar  for  the  compli- 
ment. And  there  was  Edgar  Ravenswood — Master  of  Ravens- 
wood  that  is  now — when  he  goes  up  to  the  wood — there  hasna 
been  a  better  hunter  since  Tristrem's  time — when  Sir  Edgar 
hands  out,  down  goes  the  deer,  faith.  But  we  hae  lost  a' 
sense  of  woodcraft  on  this  side  of  the  hill." 

There  was  much  in  this  harangue  highly  displeasing  to  the 
Lord  Keeper's  feelings;  he  could  not  help  observing  that  his 
menial  despised  him  almost  avowedly  for  not  possessing  that 
taste  for  sport  which  in  those  times  was  deemed  the  natural 
and  indispensable  attribute  of  a  real  gentleman.  But  the 
master  of  the  game  is,  in  all  country  houses,  a  man  of  great 
importance,  and  entitled  to  use  considerable  freedom  of 
speech.  Sir  William,  therefore,  only  smiled  and  replied, 
"He  had  something  else  to  think  upon  to-day  than  killing 
deer"  ;  meantime,  taking  out  his  purse,  he  gave  the  ranger  a 
dollar  for  his  encouragement.  The  fellow  received  it  as  the 
waiter  of  a  fashionable  hotel  receives  double  his  proper  fee 
from  the  hands  of  a  country  gentleman — that  is,  with  a  smile, 
in  which  pleasure  at  the  gift  is  mingled  with  contempt  for  the 
ignorance  of  the  donor.  "  Your  honour  is  the  bad  paymaster, " 
he  said,  "  who  pays  before  it  is  done.  What  would  you  do 
were  I  to  miss  the  buck  after  you  have  paid  me  my  wood- 
fee?" 

"  I  suppose, "  said  the  Keeper,  smiling,  "  you  would  hardly 
guess  what  I  mean  were  I  to  tell  you  of  a  condictio  indehiti  ?" 

"Not  I,  on  my  saul.  I  guess  it  is  some  law  phrase;  but 
sue  a  beggar,  and — your  honour  knows  what  follows.     Well, 


52  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

but  I  will  be  just  with  you,  and  if  bow  and  brach  fail  not,  you 
shall  have  a  piece  of  game  two  fingers  fat  on  the  brisket. " 

As  he  was  about  to  go  off,  his  master  again  called  him,  and 
asked,  as  if  by  accident,  whether  the  Master  of  Eavenswood 
was  actually  so  brave  a  man  and  so  good  a  shooter  as  the 
world  spoke  him. 

"Brave! — brave  enough,  I  warrant  you,"  answered  Norman. 
"  I  was  in  the  wood  at  Tyninghame  when  there  was  a  sort  of 
gallants  hunting  Avith  my  lord;  on  my  saul,  there  was  a  buck 
turned  to  bay  made  us  all  stand  back — a  stout  old  Trojan  of 
the  first  head,  ten-tyned  branches,  and  a  brow  as  broad  as  e'er 
a  bullock's.  Egad,  he  dashed  at  the  old  lord,  and  there  would 
have  been  inlake  among  the  peerage,  if  the  Master  had  not 
whipt  roundly  in,  and  hamstrung  him  with  his  cutlass.  He 
was  but  sixteen  then,  bless  his  heart!" 

"  And  is  he  as  ready  with  the  gun  as  with  the  couteau?"  said 
Sir  William. 

"  He'll  strike  this  silver  dollar  out  from  between  my  finger 
and  thumb  at  fourscore  yards,  and  I'll  hold  it  out  for  a  gold 
merk ;  what  more  would  ye  have  of  eye,  hand,  lead,  and  gun- 
powder?" 

"  Oh,  no  more  to  be  wished,  certainly, "  said  the  Lord 
Keeper ;  "  but  we  keep  you  from  your  sport,  Norman.  Good 
morrow,  good  Norman." 

And,  humming  his  rustic  roundelay,  the  yeoman  went  on 
his  road,  the  sound  of  his  rough  voice  gradually  dying  away 
as  the  distance  betwixt  them  increased : 

"The  monk  must  arise  when  the  matins  ring, 
The  abbot  may  sleep  to  their  chime ; 
But  the  yeoman  must  start  when  the  bugles  sing 
'Tis  time,  my  hearts,  'tis  time. 

There's  bucks  and  raes  on  Bilhope  braes, 

There's  a  herd  on  Shortwood  Shaw  ; 
But  a  lily-white  doe  in  the  garden  goes, 

She's  fairly  worth  them  a'." 

"Has  this  fellow,"  said  the  Lord  Keeper,  when  the  yeo- 
man's song  had  died  on  the  wind,  "  ever  served  the  Eavens- 
wood people,  that  he  seems  so  much  interested  in  them?     I 


THE   BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  63 

suppose  you  know,  Lucy,  for  you  make  it  a  point  of  conscience 
to  record  the  special  history  of  every  boor  about  the  castle. " 

"  I  am  not  quite  so  faithful  a  chronicler,  my  dear  father ; 
but  I  believe  that  Norman  once  served  here  while  a  boy,  and 
before  he  went  to  Ledington,  whence  you  hired  him.  But  if 
you  want  to  know  anything  of  the  former  family.  Old  Alice  is 
the  best  authority." 

"  And  what  should  I  have  to  do  with  them,  pray,  Lucy, " 
said  her  father,  "or  with  their  history  or  accomplishments?" 

"  Nay,  I  do  not  know,  sir ;  only  that  you  were  asking  ques- 
tions of  Norman  about  young  Ravenswood." 

"Pshaw,  child!"  replied  her  father,  yet  immediately  added : 
"  And  who  is  Old  Alice?  I  think  you  know  all  the  old  women 
in  the  country." 

"  To  be  sure  I  do,  or  how  could  I  help  the  old  creatures 
when  they  are  in  hard  times?  And  as  to  Old  Alice,  she  is 
the  very  empress  of  old  women  and  queen  of  gossips,  so  far 
as  legendary  lore  is  concerned.  She  is  blind,  poor  old  soul, 
but  when  she  speaks  to  you,  you  would  think  she  has  some 
way  of  looking  into  your  very  heart.  I  am  sure  I  often  cover 
my  face,  or  turn  it  away,  for  it  seems  as  if  she  saw  one  change 
colour,  though  she  has  been  blind  these  twenty  years.  She  is 
worth  visiting,  were  it  but  to  say  you  have  seen  a  blind  and 
paralytic  old  woman  have  so  much  acuteness  of  perception  and 
dignity  of  manners.  I  assure  you,  she  might  be  a  countess 
from  her  language  and  behaviour.  Come,  you  must  go  to  see 
Alice ;  we  are  not  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  her  cottage. " 

"  All  this,  my  dear, "  said  the  Lord  Keeper,  "  is  no  answer 
to  my  question,  who  this  woman  is,  and  what  is  her  connex- 
ion with  the  former  proprietor's  family?" 

"  Oh,  it  was  something  of  a  nouriceship,  I  believe ;  and  she 
remained  here,  because  her  two  grandsons  were  engaged  in 
your  service.  But  it  was  against  her  will,  I  fancy ;  for  the 
poor  old  creature  is  always  regretting  the  change  of  times  and 
of  property. " 

"  I  am  much  obliged  to  her, "  answered  the  Lord  Keeper. 
"  She  and  her  folk  eat  my  bread  and  drink  my  cup,  and  are 
lamenting  all  the  while  that  they  are  not  still  under  a  family 


64  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

which  never  could  do  good,  either  to  themselves  or  any  one 
else!" 

"  Indeed, "  replied  Lucy,  "  I  am  certain  you  do  Old  Alice 
injustice.  She  has  nothing  mercenary  about  her,  and  would 
not  accept  a  penny  in  charity,  if  it  were  to  save  her  from 
being  starved.  She  is  only  talkative,  like  all  old  folk  when 
you  put  them  upon  stories  of  their  youth;  and  she  speaks 
about  the  Ravens  wood  people,  because  she  lived  under  them 
so  many  years.  But  I  am  sure  she  is  grateful  to  you,  sir,  for 
your  protection,  and  that  she  would  rather  speak  to  you  than 
to  any  other  person  in  the  whole  world  beside.  Do,  sir,  come 
and  see  Old  Alice." 

And  with  the  freedom  of  an  indulged  daughter  she  dragged 
the  Lord  Keeper  in  the  direction  she  desired. 


CHAPTER   lY. 


Through  tops  of  the  high  trees  she  did  descry 
A  little  smoke,  whose  vapour,  thin  and  light, 
Reeking  aloft,  uprolled  to  the  sky, 
Which  cheerful  sign  did  send  unto  her  sight. 
That  in  the  same  did  wonne  some  living  wight. 

Spenser. 

Lucy  acted  as  her  father's  guide,  for  he  was  too  much  en- 
grossed with  his  political  labours,  or  with  society,  to  be  per- 
fectly acquainted  with  his  own  extensive  domains,  and,  more- 
over, was  generally  an  inhabitant  of  the  city  of  Edinburgh; 
and  she,  on  the  other  hand,  had,  with  her  mother,  resided  the 
whole  summer  in  Ravenswood,  and,  partly  from  taste,  partly 
from  want  of  any  other  amusement,  had,  by  her  frequent  ram- 
bles, learned  to  know  each  lane,  alley,  dingle,  or  bushy  dell, 

And  every  bosky  bourne  from  side  to  side. 

We  have  said  that  the  Lord  Keeper  was  not  indifferent  to 
the  beauties  of  nature;  and  we  add,  in  justice  to  him,  that  he 
felt  them  doubly  when  pointed  out  by  the  beautiful,  simple, 
and  interesting  girl  who,  hanging  on  his  arm  with  filial  kind- 
ness, now  called  him  to  admire  the  size  of  some  ancient  oak, 


THE  BRIDE   OF   LAMMERMOOR.  65 

and  now  the  unexpected  turn  where  the  path,  developing  its 
maze  from  glen  or  dingle,  suddenly  reached  an  eminence  com- 
manding an  extensive  view  of  the  plains  beneath  them,  and  then 
gradually  glided  away  from  the  prospect  to  lose  itself  among 
rocks  and  thickets,  and  guide  to  scenes  of  deeper  seclusion. 

It  was  when  pausing  on  one  of  those  points  of  extensive  and 
commanding  view  that  Lucy  told  her  father  they  were  close  by 
the  cottage  of  her  blind  protec/ee  ;  and  on  turning  from  the  lit- 
tle hill,  a  path  which  led  around  it,  worn  by  the  daily  steps 
of  the  infirm  inmate,  brought  them  in  sight  of  the  hut,  which, 
embosomed  in  a  deep  and  obscure  dell,  seemed  to  have  been 
so  situated  purposely  to  bear  a  correspondence  with  the  dark- 
ened state  of  its  inhabitant. 

The  cottage  was  situated  immediately  under  a  tall  rock, 
which  in  some  measure  beetled  over  it,  as  if  threatening  to 
drop  some  detached  fragment  from  its  brow  on  the  frail  tene- 
ment beneath.  The  hut  itself  was  constructed  of  turf  and 
stones,  and  rudely  roofed  over  with  thatch,  much  of  which 
was  in  a  dilapidated  condition.  The  thin  blue  smoke  rose 
from  it  in  a  light  column,  and  curled  upward  along  the  white 
face  of  the  incumbent  rock,  giving  the  scene  a  tint  of  exquisite 
softness.  In  a  small  and  rude  garden,  surrounded  by  strag- 
gling elder-bushes,  which  formed  a  sort  of  imperfect  hedge, 
sat  near  to  the  beehives,  by  the  produce  of  which  she  lived, 
that  "  woman  old  "  whom  Lucy  had  brought  her  father  hither 
to  visit. 

Whatever  there  had  been  which  was  disastrous  in  her  for- 
tune, whatever  there  was  miserable  in  her  dwelling,  it  was 
easy  to  judge  by  the  first  glance  that  neither  years,  poverty, 
misfortune,  nor  infirmity  had  broken  the  spirit  of  this  remark- 
able woman. 

She  occupied  a  turf  seat,  placed  under  a  weeping  birch  of 
imusual  magnitude  and  age,  as  Judah  is  represented  sitting 
under  her  palm-tree,  with  an  air  at  once  of  majesty  and  of 
dejection.  Her  figure  was  tall,  commanding,  and  but  little 
bent  by  the  infirmities  of  old  age.  Her  dress,  though  that  of 
a  peasant,  was  uncommonly  clean,  forming  in  that  particular 
a  strong  contrast  to  most  of  her  rank,  and  was  disposed  with 


56  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

an  attention  to  neatness,  and  even  to  taste,  equally  unusual. 
But  it  was  her  expression  of  countenance  which  chiefly  struck 
the  spectator,  and  induced  most  persons  to  address  her  with 
a  degree  of  deference  and  civility  very  inconsistent  with  the 
miserable  state  of  her  dwelling,  and  which,  nevertheless,  she 
received  with  that  easy  composure  which  showed  she  felt  it  to 
be  her  due.  She  had  once  been  beautiful,  but  her  beauty  had 
been  of  a  bold  and  masculine  cast,  such  as  does  not  survive 
the  bloom  of  youth;  yet  her  features  continued  to  express 
strong  sense,  deep  reflection,  and  a  character  of  sober  pride, 
which,  as  we  have  already  said  of  her  dress,  appeared  to 
argue  a  conscious  superiority  to  those  of  her  own  rank.  It 
scarce  seemed  possible  that  a  face,  deprived  of  the  advantage 
of  sight,  could  have  expressed  character  so  strongly ;  but  her 
eyes,  which  were  almost  totally  closed,  did  not,  by  the  display 
of  their  sightless  orbs,  mar  the  countenance  to  which  they  could 
add  nothing.  She  seemed  in  a  ruminating  posture,  soothed, 
perhaps,  by  the  murmurs  of  the  busy  tribe  around  her  to  ab- 
straction, though  not  to  slumber. 

Lucy  undid  the  latch  of  the  little  garden  gate,  and  solicit- 
ed the  old  woman's  attention.  "  My  father,  Alice,  is  come  to 
see  you." 

"He  is  welcome.  Miss  Ashton,  and  so  are  you,"  said  the  old 
woman,  turning  and  inclining  her  head  towards  her  visitors. 

"This  is  a  fine  morning  for  your  beehives,  mother,"  said 
the  Lord  Keeper,  who,  struck  with  the  outward  appearance 
of  Alice,  was  somewhat  curious  to  know  if  her  conversation 
would  correspond  with  it. 

"  I  believe  so,  my  lord, "  she  replied ;  "  I  feel  the  air  breathe 
milder  than  of  late."  ., 

"  You  do  not, "  resumed  the  statesman,  "  take  charge  of 
these  bees  yourself,  mother?     How  do  you  manage  them?" 

"By  delegates,  as  kings  do  their  subjects,"  resumed  Alice; 
"  and  I  am  fortunate  in  a  prime  minister.     Here,  Babie. " 

She  whistled  on  a  small  silver  call  which  hung  around  her 
neck,  and  which  at  that  time  was  sometimes  used  to  summon 
domestics,  and  Babie,  a  girl  of  fifteen,  made  her  appearance 
from  the  hut,  not  altogether  so  cleanly  arrayed  as  she  would 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  67 

probably  have  been  had  Alice  had  the  use  of  her  eyes,  but  with 
a  greater  air  of  neatness  than  was  upon  the  whole  to  have  been 
expected. 

"  Babie,"  said  her  mistress,  "  offer  some  bread  and  honey  to 
the  Lord  Keeper  and  Miss  Ashton ;  they  will  excuse  your  awk- 
wardness if  you  use  cleanliness  and  despatch." 

Babie  performed  her  mistress's  command  with  the  grace 
which  was  naturally  to  have  been  expected,  moving  to  and 
fro  with  a  lobster-like  gesture,  her  feet  and  legs  tending  one 
way,  while  her  head,  turned  in  a  different  direction,  was  fixed 
in  wonder  upon  the  laird,  who  was  more  frequently  heard  of 
than  seen  by  his  tenants  and  dependants.  The  bread  and 
honey,  however,  deposited  on  a  plantain  leaf,  was  offered 
and  accepted  in  all  due  courtesy.  The  Lord  Keeper,  still  re- 
taining the  place  which  he  had  occupied  on  the  decayed  trunk 
of  a  fallen  tree,  looked  as  if  he  wished  to  prolong  the  inter- 
view, but  was  at  a  loss  how  to  introduce  a  suitable  subject. 

"You  have  been  long  a  resident  on  this  property?"  he  said, 
after  a  pause. 

"  It  is  now  nearly  sixty  years  since  I  first  knew  Ravens- 
wood,  "  answered  the  old  dame,  whose  conversation,  though  per- 
fectly civil  and  respectful,  seemed  cautiously  limited  to  the  un- 
avoidable and  necessary  uask  of  replying  to  Sir  William. 

"  You  are  not,  I  should  judge  by  your  accent,  of  this  country 
originally?"  said  the  Lord  Keeper,  in  continuation. 

"No;  I  am  by  birth  an  Englishwoman." 

"  Yet  you  seem  attached  to  this  country  as  if  it  were  your 
own." 

"  It  is  here, "  replied  the  blind  woman,  "  that  I  have  drank 
the  cup  of  joy  and  of  sorrow  which  Heaven  destined  for  me. 
I  was  here  the  wife  of  an  upright  and  affectionate  husband  for 
more  than  twenty  years ;  I  was  here  the  mother  of  six  promis- 
ing children ;  it  was  here  that  God  deprived  me  of  all  these 
blessings ;  it  was  here  they  died,  and  yonder,  by  yon  ruined 
chapel,  they  lie  all  buried.  I  had  no  country  but  theirs  while 
they  lived ;  I  have  none  but  theirs  now  they  are  no  more. " 

"  But  your  house, "  said  the  Lord  Keeper,  looking  at  it,  "  is 
miserably  ruinous?" 


58  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

"Do,  my  dear  father,"  said  Lucy,  eagerly,  yet  bashfully, 
catching  at  the  hint,  "give  orders  to  make  it  better;  that  is, 
if  you  think  it  proper. " 

"  It  will  last  my  time,  my  dear  Miss  Lucy, "  said  the  blind 
woman;  "  I  would  not  have  my  lord  give  himself  the  least 
trouble  about  it." 

"But,"  said  Lucy,  "you  once  had  a  much  better  house,  and 
were  rich,  and  now  in  your  old  age  to  live  in  this  hovel!" 

"  It  is  as  good  as  I  deserve.  Miss  Lucy;  if  my  heart  has  not 
broke  with  what  I  have  suffered,  and  seen  others  suffer,  it 
must  have  been  strong  enough,  and  the  rest  of  this  old  frame 
has  no  right  to  call  itseK  weaker." 

"  You  have  probably  witnessed  many  changes, "  said  the 
Lord  Keeper;  "but  your  experience  must  have  taught  you  to 
expect  them." 

"  It  has  taught  me  to  endure  them,  my  lord,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Yet  you  knew  that  they  must  needs  arrive  in  the  course 
of  years?"  said  the  statesman. 

"  Ay ;  as  I  knew  that  the  stump,  on  or  beside  which  you  sit, 
once  a  tall  and  lofty  tree,  must  needs  one  day  fall  by  decay, 
or  by  the  axe ;  yet  I  hoped  my  eyes  might  not  witness  the 
downfall  of  the  tree  which  overshadowed  my  dwelling." 

"  Do  not  suppose, "  said  the  Lord  Keeper,  "  that  you  will 
lose  any  interest  with  me  for  looking  back  with  regret  to  the 
days  when  another  family  possessed  my  estates,  l^ou  had 
reason,  doubtless,  to  love  them,  and  I  respect  your  gratitude. 
I  will  order  some  repairs  in  your  cottage,  and  I  hope  we  shall 
live  to  be  friends  when  we  know  each  other  better. " 

"  Those  of  my  age, "  returned  the  dame,  "  make  no  new 
friends.  I  thank  you  for  your  bounty,  it  is  well  intended  un- 
doubtedly ;  but  I  have  all  I  want,  and  I  cannot  accept  more  at 
your  lordship's  hands." 

"Well,  then,"  continued  the  Lord  Keeper,  "at  least  allow 
me  to  say,  that  I  look  upon  you  as  a  woman  of  sense  and  edu- 
cation beyond  your  appearance,  and  that  I  hope  you  will  con- 
tinue to  reside  on  this  property  of  mine  rent-free  for  your  life." 

"  I  hope  I  shall, "  said  the  old  dame,  composedly ;  "  I  believe 
that  was  made  an  article  in  the  sale  of  Eavenswood  to  your 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  69 

lordship,  though  such  a  trifling  circumstance  may  have  es- 
caped your  recollection." 

"I  remember — I  recollect,"  said  his  lordship,  somewhat 
confused.  "  I  perceive  you  are  too  much  attached  to  your  old 
friends  to  accept  any  benefit  from  their  successor." 

"  Far  from  it,  my  lord ;  I  am  grateful  for  the  benefits  which 
I  decline,  and  I  wish  I  could  pay  you  for  offering  them,  better 
than  what  I  am  now  about  to  say."  The  Lord  Keeper  looked 
at  her  in  some  surprise,  but  said  not  a  word.  "  My  lord, "  she 
continued,  in  an  impressive  and  solemn  tone,  "  take  care  what 
you  do;  you  are  on  the  brink  of  a  precipice." 

"  Indeed?"  said  the  Lord  Keeper,  his  mind  reverting  to  the 
political  circumstances  of  the  country.  "  Has  anything  come 
to  your  knowledge — any  plot  or  conspiracy?" 

"  No,  my  lord ;  those  who  traffic  in  such  commodities  do  not 
call  to  their  councils  the  old,  blind,  and  infirm.  My  warning 
is  of  another  kind.  You  have  driven  matters  hard  with  the 
house  of  Ravenswood.  Believe  a  true  tale :  they  are  a  fierce 
house,  and  there  is  danger  in  dealing  with  men  when  they 
become  desperate." 

"  Tush, "  answered  the  Keeper ;  "  what  has  been  between  us 
has  been  the  work  of  the  law,  not  my  doing ;  and  to  the  law 
they  must  look,  if  they  would  impugn  my  proceedings." 

"  Ay,  but  they  may  think  otherwise,  and  take  the  law  into 
their  own  hand,  when  they  fail  of  other  means  of  redress." 

"  What  mean  you?"  said  the  Lord  Keeper.  "  Young  Ravens- 
wood  would  not  have  recourse  to  personal  violence?" 

"  God  forbid  I  should  say  so !  I  know  nothing  of  the  youth 
but  what  is  honourable  and  open.  Honourable  and  open,  said 
I?  I  should  have  added,  free,  generous,  noble.  But  he  is 
still  a  Ravenswood,  and  may  bide  his  time.  Remember  the 
fate  of  Sir  George  Lockhart. "  ' 

The  Lord  Keeper  started  as  she  called  to  his  recollection  a 
tragedy  so  deep  and  so  recent.  The  old  woman  proceeded: 
"  Chiesley,  who  did  the  deed,  was  a  relative  of  Lord  Ravens- 
wood.  Li  the  hall  of  Ravenswood,  in  my  presence  and  in 
that  of  others,  he  avowed  publicly  his  determination  to  do  the 

1  See  Note  2. 


60  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

cruelty  which  he  afterwards  committed.  I  could  not  keep 
silence,  though  to  speak  it  ill  became  my  station.  'You  are 
devising  a  dreadful  crime/  I  said,  'for  which  you  must  reckon 
before  the  judgment  seat.'  Kever  shall  I  forget  his  look,  as 
he  replied,  'I  must  reckon  then  for  many  things,  and  will 
reckon  for  this  also. '  Therefore  I  may  well  say,  beware  of 
pressing  a  desperate  man  with  the  hand  of  authority.  There 
is  blood  of  Chiesley  in  the  veins  of  Kavenswood,  and  one  drop 
of  it  were  enough  to  fire  him  in  the  circumstances  in  which  he 
is  placed.     I  say,  beware  of  him." 

The  old  dame  had,  either  intentionally  or  by  accident, 
harped  aright  the  fear  of  the  Lord  Keeper.  The  desperate 
and  dark  resource  of  private  assassination,  so  familiar  to  a 
Scottish  baron  in  former  times,  had  even  in  the  present  age 
been  too  frequently  resorted  to  under  the  pressure  of  unusual 
temptation,  or  where  the  mind  of  the  actor  was  prepared  for 
such  a  crime.  Sir  William  Ashton  was  aware  of  this ;  as  also 
that  young  Ravenswood  had  received  injuries  sufficient  to 
prompt  him  to  that  sort  of  revenge,  which  becomes  a  frequent 
though  fearful  consequence  of  the  partial  administration  of 
justice.  He  endeavoured  to  disguise  from  Alice  the  nature 
of  the  apprehensions  which  he  entertained;  but  so  ineffect- 
ually, that  a  person  even  of  less  penetration  than  nature  had 
endowed  her  with  must  necessarily  have  been  aware  that  the 
subject  lay  near  his  bosom.  His  voice  was  changed  in  its 
accent  as  he  replied  to  her,  "  That  the  Master  of  Ravenswood 
was  a  man  of  honour ;  and,  were  it  otherwise,  that  the  fate  of 
Chiesley  of  Dairy  was  a  sufficient  warning  to  any  one  who 
should  dare  to  assume  the  office  of  avenger  of  his  own  imagi- 
nary wrongs."  And  having  hastily  uttered  these  expressions, 
he  rose  and  left  the  place  without  waiting  for  a  reply. 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  61 


CHAPTEE    V. 

Is  she  a  Capulet? 
0  dear  account!  my  life  is  my  foe's  debt. 

Shakspeare. 

The  Lord  Keeper  walked  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in 
profound  silence.  His  daughter,  naturally  timid,  and  bred 
up  in  those  ideas  of  filial  awe  and  implicit  obedience  which 
were  inculcated  upon  the  youth  of  that  period,  did  not  venture 
to  interrupt  his  meditations. 

"Why  do  you  look  so  pale,  Lucy?"  said  her  father,  turning 
suddenly  round  and  breaking  silence. 

According  to  the  ideas  of  the  time,  which  did  not  permit  a 
young  woman  to  offer  her  sentiments  on  any  subject  of  impor- 
tance unless  especially  required  to  do  so,  Lucy  was  bound  to 
appear  ignorant  of  the  meaning  of  all  that  had  passed  betwixt 
Alice  and  her  father,  and  imputed  the  emotion  he  had  observed 
to  the  fear  of  the  wild  cattle  which  grazed  in  that  part  of  the 
extensive  chase  through  which  they  were  now  walking. 

Of  these  animals,  the  descendants  of  the  savage  herds  which 
anciently  roamed  free  in  the  Caledonian  forests,  it  was  for- 
merly a  point  of  state  to  preserve  a  few  in  the  parks  of  the 
Scottish  nobility.  Specimens  continued  within  the  memory 
of  man  to  be  kept  at  least  at  three  houses  of  distinction — 
Hamilton,  namely,  Drumlanrig,  and  Cumbernauld.  They  had 
degenerated  from  the  ancient  race  in  size  and  strength,  if  we 
are  to  judge  from  the  accounts  of  old  chronicles,  and  from  the 
formidable  remains  frequently  discovered  in  bogs  and  morasses 
when  drained  and  laid  open.  The  bull  had  lost  the  shaggy 
honours  of  his  mane,  and  the  race  was  small  and  light  made, 
in  colour  a  dingy  white,  or  rather  a  pale  yellow,  with  black 
horns  and  hoofs.  They  retained,  however,  in  some  measure, 
the  ferocity  of  their  ancestry,  could  not  be  domesticated  on 
account  of  their  antipathy  to  the  human  race,  and  were  often 
dangerous  if  approached  unguardedly,  or  wantonly  disturbed. 
It  was  this  last  reason  which  has  occasioned  their  being  ex- 


62  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

tirpated  at  the  places  we  have  mentioned,  where  probably  they 
would  otherwise  have  been  retained  as  appropriate  inhabitants 
of  a  Scottish  woodland,  and  fit  tenants  for  a  baronial  forest. 
A  few,  if  I  mistake  not,  are  still  preserved  at  Chillingham 
Castle,  in  Northumberland,  the  seat  of  the  Earl  of  Tanker- 
ville.^ 

It  was  to  her  finding  herself  in  the  vicinity  of  a  group  of 
three  or  four  of  these  animals,  that  Lucy  thought  proper  to 
impute  those  signs  of  fear  which  had  arisen  in  her  countenance 
for  a  different  reason.  For  she  had  been  familiarised  with  the 
appearance  of  the  wild  cattle  daring  her  walks  in  the  chase; 
and  it  was  not  then,  as  it  may  be  now,  a  necessary  part  of  a 
young  lady's  demeanour  to  indulge  in  causeless  tremors  of  the 
nerves.  Gn  the  present  occasion,  however,  she  speedily  found 
cause  for  real  terror. 

Lucy  had  scarcely  replied  to  her  father  in  the  words  we 
have  mentioned,  and  he  was  just  about  to  rebuke  her  supposed 
timidity,  when  a  bull,  stimulated  either  by  the  scarlet  colour 
of  Miss  Ashton's  mantle,  or  by  one  of  those  fits  of  capricious 
ferocity  to  which  their  dispositions  are  liable,  detached  him- 
self suddenly  from  the  group  which  was  feeding  at  the  upper 
extremity  of  a  grassy  glade,  that  seemed  to  lose  itself  among 
the  crossing  and  entangled  boughs.  The  animal  approached 
the  intruders  on  his  pasture  ground,  at  first  slowly,  pawing 
the  ground  with  his  hoof,  bellowing  from  time  to  time,  and 
tearing  up  the  sand  with  his  horns,  as  if  to  lash  himself  up  to 
rage  and  violence. 

The  Lord  Keeper,  who  observed  the  animal's  demeanour, 
was  aware  that  he  was  about  to  become  mischievous,  and, 
drawing  his  daughter's  arm  under  his  own,  began  to  walk 
fast  along  the  avenue,  in  hopes  to  get  out  of  his  sight  and 
his  reach.  This  was  the  most  injudicious  course  he  could 
have  adopted,  for,  encouraged  by  the  appearance  of  flight,  the 
bull  began  to  pursue  them  at  full  speed.  Assailed  by  a  dan- 
ger so  imminent,  firmer  courage  than  that  of  the  Lord  Keeper 
might  have  given  way.  But  paternal  tenderness,  "  love  strong 
as  death, "  sustained  him.  He  continued  to  support  and  drag 
[See  a  note  to  Castle  Dangerous.'] 


"  '  Kequest  nothiny:  of  MK,  my  l^urd,  1  aiu  the  Master  of  Kaveiiswood.' ' 

LaiMiiiermoor.  Chap,  v.,  p.  G'.). 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  63 

onward  his  daughter,  until  her  fears  altogether  depriving  her 
of  the  power  of  flight,  she  sunk  down  by  his  side ;  and  when 
he  could  no  longer  assist  her  to  escape,  he  turned  round  and 
placed  himself  betwixt  her  and  the  raging  animal,  which,  ad- 
vancing in  full  career,  its  brutal  fury  enhanced  by  the  rapid- 
ity of  the  pursuit,  was  now  within  a  few  yards  of  them.  The 
Lord  Keeper  had  no  weapons ;  his  age  and  gravity  dispensed 
even  with  the  usual  appendage  of  a  walking  sword — could 
such  appendage  have  availed  him  anything. 

It  seemed  inevitable  that  the  father  or  daughter,  or  both, 
should  have  fallen  victims  to  the  impending  danger,  when  a 
shot  from  the  neighbouring  thicket  arrested  the  progress  of 
the  animal.  He  was  so  truly  struck  between  the  junction  of 
the  spine  with  the  skull,  that  the  wound,  which  in  any  other 
part  of  his  body  might  scarce  have  impeded  his  career,  proved 
instantly  fatal.  Stumbling  forward  with  a  hideous  bellow, 
the  progressive  force  of  his  previous  motion,  rather  than  any 
operation  of  his  limbs,  carried  him  up  to  within  three  yards  of 
the  astonished  Lord  Keeper,  where  he  rolled  on  the  ground, 
his  limbs  darkened  with  the  black  death-sweat,  and  quivering 
with  the  last  convulsions  of  muscular  motion. 

Lucy  lay  senseless  on  the  ground,  insensible  of  the  wonder- 
ful deliverance  which  she  had  experienced.  Her  father  was 
almost  equally  stupified,  so  rapid  and  unexpected  had  been 
the  transition  from  the  horrid  death  which  seemed  inevitable 
to  perfect  security.  He  gazed  on  the  animal,  terrible  even 
in  death,  with  a  species  of  mute  and  confused  astonishment, 
which  did  not  permit  him  distinctly  to  understand  what  had 
taken  place;  and  so  inaccurate  was  his  consciousness  of  what 
had  passed,  that  he  might  have  supposed  the  bull  had  been 
arrested  in  its  career  by  a  thunderbolt,  had  he  not  observed 
among  the  branches  of  the  thicket  the  figure  of  a  man,  with  a 
short  gun  or  musquetoon  in  his  hand. 

This  instantly  recalled  him  to  a  sense  of  their  situation :  a 
glance  at  his  daughter  reminded  him  of  the  necessity  of  pro- 
curing her  assistance.  He  called  to  the  man,  whom  he  con- 
cluded to  be  one  of  his  foresters,  to  give  immediate  attention 
to  Miss  Ashton,  while  he  himself  hastened  to  call  assistance. 


64  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

The  huntsman  approached  them  accordingly,  and  the  Lord 
Keeper  saw  he  was  a  stranger,  but  was  too  much  agitated  to 
make  any  farther  remarks.  In  a  few  hurried  words  he  di- 
rected the  shooter,  as  stronger  and  more  active  than  himself, 
to  carry  the  young  lady  to  a  neighbouring  fountain,  while  he 
went  back  to  Alice's  hut  to  procure  more  aid. 

The  man  to  whose  timely  interference  they  had  been  so 
much  indebted  did  not  seem  inclined  to  leave  his  good  work 
half  finished.  He  raised  Lucy  from  the  ground  in  his  arms, 
and  conveying  her  through  the  glades  of  the  forest  by  paths 
with  which  he  seemed  well  acquainted,  stopped  not  until  he 
laid  her  in  safety  by  the  side  of  a  plentiful  and  pellucid  foun- 
tain, which  had  been  once  covered  in,  screened  and  decorated 
with  architectural  ornaments  of  a  Gothic  character.  But  now 
the  vault  which  had  covered  it  being  broken  down  and  riven, 
and  the  Gothic  font  ruined  and  demolished,  the  stream  burst 
forth  from  the  recess  of  the  earth  in  open  day,  and  winded 
its  way  among  the  broken  sculpture  and  moss-grown  stones 
which  lay  in  confusion  around  its  source. 

Tradition,  always  busy,  at  least  in  Scotland,  to  grace  with 
a  legendary  tale  a  spot  in  itself  interesting,  had  ascribed  a 
cause  of  peculiar  veneration  to  this  fountain.  A  beautiful 
young  lady  met  one  of  the  Lords  of  Kavenswood  while  hunt- 
ing near  this  spot,  and,  like  a  second  Egeria,  had  captivated 
the  affections  of  the  feudal  Numa.  They  met  frequently  after- 
wards, and  always  at  sunset,  the  charms  of  the  nymph's  mind 
completing  the  conquest  which  her  beauty  had  begun,  and  the 
mystery  of  the  intrigue  adding  zest  to  both.  She  always  ap- 
peared and  disappeared  close  by  the  fountain,  with  which, 
therefore,  her  lover  judged  she  had  some  inexplicable  connex- 
ion. She  placed  certain  restrictions  on  their  intercourse, 
which  also  savoured  of  mystery.  They  met  only  once  a  week 
• — Friday  was  the  appointed  day — and  she  explained  to  the 
Lord  of  Kavenswood  that  they  were  under  the  necessity  of 
separating  so  soon  as  the  bell  of  a  chapel,  belonging  to  a  her- 
mitage in  the  adjoining  wood,  now  long  ruinous,  should  toll 
the  hour  of  vespers.  In  the  course  of  his  confession,  the 
Baron  of  Eavenswood  entrusted  the  hermit  with  the  secret  of 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  65 

this  singular  amour,  and  Father  Zachary  drew  the  necessary 
and  obvious  consequence  that  his  patron  was  enveloped  in  the 
toils  of  Satan,  and  in  danger  of  destruction,  both  to  body  and 
soul.  He  urged  these  perils  to  the  Baron  with  all  the  force 
of  monkish  rhetoric,  and  described,  in  the  most  frightful  col- 
ours, the  real  character  and  person  of  the  apparently  lovely 
Naiad,  whom  he  hesitated  not  to  denounce  as  a  limb  of  the 
kingdom  of  darkness.  The  lover  listened  with  obstinate  in- 
credulity ;  and  it  was  not  until  worn  out  by  the  obstinacy  of 
the  anchoret  that  he  consented  to  put  the  state  and  condition 
of  his  mistress  to  a  certain  trial,  and  for  that  purpose  acqui- 
esced in  Zachary 's  proposal  that  on  their  next  interview  the 
vespers  bell  should  be  rung  half  an  hour  later  than  usual.  The 
hermit  maintained  and  bucklered  his  opinion,  by  quotations 
from  Malleus  Malificarum,  Sprengerus,  Remigius,  and  other 
learned  demonologists,  that  the  Evil  One,  thus  seduced  to 
remain  behind  the  appointed  hour,  would  assume  her  true 
shape,  and,  having  appeared  to  her  terrified  lover  as  a  fiend 
of  hell,  would  vanish  from  him  in  a  flash  of  sulphurous  light- 
ning. Raymond  of  Ravenswood  acquiesced  in  the  experiment, 
not  mcurious  concerning  the  issue,  though  confident  it  would 
disappoint  the  expectations  of  the  hermit. 

At  the  appointed  hour  the  lovers  met,  and  their  interview 
was  protracted  beyond  that  at  which  they  usually  parted,  by 
the  delay  of  the  priest  to  ring  his  usual  curfew.  No  change 
took  place  upon  the  nymph's  outward  form;  but  as  soon  as 
the  lengthening  shadows  made  her  aware  that  the  usual  hour 
of  the  vespers  chime  was  passed,  she  tore  herself  from  her 
lover's  arms  with  a  shriek  of  despair,  bid  him  adieu  for  ever, 
and,  plunging  into  the  fountain,  disappeared  from  his  eyes. 
The  bubbles  occasioned  by  her  descent  were  crimsoned  with 
blood  as  they  arose,  leading  the  distracted  Baron  to  infer  that 
his  ill-judged  curiosity  had  occasioned  the  death  of  this  inter- 
esting and  mysterious  being.  The  remorse  which  he  felt, 
as  well  as  the  recollection  of  her  charms,  proved  the  penance 
of  his  future  life,  which  he  lost  in  the  battle  of  Flodden  not 
many  months  after.  But,  in  memory  of  his  Naiad,  he  had 
previously  ornamented  the  fountain  in  which  she  appeared  to 
5 


66  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

reside,  and  secured  its  waters  from  profanation  or  pollution 
by  the  small  vaulted  building  of  which  the  fragments  still  re- 
mained scattered  around  it.  From  this  period  the  house  of 
Eavenswood  was  supposed  to  have  dated  its  decay. 

Such  was  the  generally -received  legend,  which  some,  who 
would  seem  wiser  than  the  vulgar,  explained  as  obscurely  in- 
timating the  fate  of  a  beautiful  maid  of  plebeian  rank,  the 
mistress  of  this  Eaymond,  whom  he  slew  in  a  fit  of  jealousy, 
and  whose  blood  was  mingled  with  the  waters  of  the  locked 
fountain,  as  it  was  commonly  called.  Others  imagined  that 
the  tale  had  a  more  remote  origin  in  the  ancient  heathen  myth- 
ology. All,  however,  agreed  that  the  sjjot  was  fatal  to  the 
Ravenswood  family;  and  that  to  drink  of  the  waters  of  the 
well,  or  even  approach  its  brink,  was  as  ominous  to  a  descend- 
ant of  that  house  as  for  a  Grahame  to  wear  green,  a  Bruce  to 
kill  a  spider,  or  a  St.  Clair  to  cross  the  Ord  on  a  Monday. 

It  was  on  this  ominous  spot  that  Lucy  Ashton  first  drew 
breath  after  her  long  and  almost  deadly  swoon.  Beautiful 
and  pale  as  the  fabulous  Naiad  in  the  last  agony  of  separation 
from  her  lover,  she  was  seated  so  as  to  rest  with  her  back 
against  a  part  of  the  ruined  wall,  while  her  mantle,  dripping 
with  the  water  which  her  protector  had  used  profusely  to 
recall  her  senses,  clung  to  her  slender  and  beautifully  propor- 
tioned form. 

The  first  moment  of  recollection  brought  to  her  mind  the 
danger  which  had  overpowered  her  senses;  the  next  called 
to  remembrance  that  of  her  father.  She  looked  around;  he 
was  nowhere  to  be  seen.  *'My  father,  my  father!"  was  all 
that  she  could  ejaculate. 

"  Sir  William  is  safe,"  answered  the  voice  of  a  stranger — 
"perfectly  safe,  and  will  be  with  you  instantly." 

"  Are  you  sure  of  that?"  exclaimed  Lucy.  "  The  bull  was 
close  by  us.     Do  not  stop  me:  I  must  go  to  seek  my  father!" 

And  she  arose  with  that  purpose;  but  her  strength  was  so 
much  exhausted  that,  far  from  possessing  the  power  to  execute 
her  purpose,  she  must  have  fallen  against  the  stone  on  which 
she  had  leant,  probably  not  without  sustaining  serious  injury. 

The  stranger  was  so  near  to  her  that,  without  actually  suf- 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  67 

fering  her  to  fall,  he  could  not  avoid  catching  her  in  his  arms, 
which,  however,  he  did  with  a  momentary  reluctance,  very- 
unusual  when  youth  interposes  to  prevent  beauty  from  dan- 
ger. It  seemed  as  if  her  weight,  slight  as  it  was,  proved  too 
heavy  for  her  young  and  athletic  assistant,  for,  without  feel- 
ing the  temptation  of  detaining  her  in  his  arms  even  for  a 
single  instant,  he  again  placed  her  on  the  stone  from  which 
she  had  risen,  and  retreating  a  few  steps,  repeated  hastily : 
"  Sir  William  Ashton  is  perfectly  safe  and  will  be  here  in- 
stantly. Do  not  make  yourself  anxious  on  his  account :  Fate 
has  singularly  preserved  him.  Ton,  madam,  are  exhausted, 
and  must  not  think  of  rising  until  you  have  some  assistance 
more  suitable  than  mine." 

Lucy,  whose  senses  were  by  this  time  more  effectually  col- 
lected, was  naturally  led  to  look  at  the  stranger  with  attention. 
There  was  nothing  in  his  appearance  which  should  have  ren- 
dered him  unwilling  to  offer  his  arm  to  a  young  lady  who  re- 
quired support,  or  which  could  have  ""induced  her  to  refuse  his 
assistance ;  and  she  could  not  help  thinking,  even  in  that  mo- 
ment, that  he  seemed  cold  and  reluctant  to  offer  it.  A  shoot- 
ing-dress of  dark  cloth  intimated  the  rank  of  the  wearer,  though 
concealed  in  part  by  a  large  and  loose  cloak  of  a  dark  brown 
colour.  A  montero  cap  and  a  black  feather  drooped  over  the 
wearer's  brow,  and  partly  concealed  his  features,  which,  so 
far  as  seen,  were  dark,  regular,  and  full  of  majestic,  though 
somewhat  sullen,  expression.  Some  secret  sorrow,  or  the 
brooding  spirit  of  some  moody  passion,  had  quenched  the 
light  and  ingenuous  vivacity  of  youth  in  a  countenance  singu- 
larly fitted  to  display  both,  and  it  was  not  easy  to  gaze  on  the 
stranger  without  a  secret  impression  either  of  pity  or  awe,  or 
at  least  of  doubt  and  curiosity  allied  to  both. 

The  impression  which  we  have  necessarily  been  long  in  de- 
scribing, Lucy  felt  in  the  glance  of  a  moment,  and  had  no 
sooner  encountered  the  keen  black  eyes  of  the  stranger  than 
her  own  were  bent  on  the  ground  with  a  mixture  of  bashful 
embarrassment  and  fear.  Yet  there  was  a  necessity  to  speak, 
or  at  least  she  thought  so,  and  in  a  fluttered  accent  she  began 
to  mention  her  wonderful  escape,  in  which  she  was  sure  that 


6S  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

the  stranger  must,  under  Heaven,  have  been  her  father's  pro- 
tector and  her  own. 

He  seemed  to  shrink  from  her  expressions  of  gratitude, 
while  he  replied  abruptly,  ''I  leave  you,  madam,"  the  deep 
melody  of  his  voice  rendered  powerful,  but  not  harsh,  by 
something  like  a  severity  of  tone — "  I  leave  you  to  the  pro- 
tection of  those  to  whom  it  is  possible  you  may  have  this  day 
been  a  guardian  angel." 

Lucy  was  surprised  at  the  ambiguity  of  his  language,  and, 
with  a  feeling  of  artless  and  unaffected  gratitude,  began  to 
deprecate  the  idea  of  having  intended  to  give  her  deliverer 
any  offence,  as  if  such  a  thing  had  been  possible.  "  I  have 
been  unfortunate,"  she  said,  "in  endeavouring  to  express  my 
thanks — I  am  sure  it  must  be  so,  though  I  cannot  recollect 
what  I  said ;  but  would  you  but  stay  till  my  father — till  the 
Lord  Keeper  comes ;  would  you  only  permit  him  to  pay  you 
his  thanks,  and  to  inquire  your  name?" 

"My  name  is  unnecessary,"  answered  the  stranger;  "your 
father — I  would  rather  say  Sir  William  Ashton — will  learn  it 
soon  enough,  for  all  the  pleasure  it  is  likely  to  afford  him." 

"You  mistake  him,"  said  Lucy,  earnestly;  "he  will  be 
grateful  for  my  sake  and  for  his  own.  You  do  not  know  my 
father,  or  you  are  deceiving  me  with  a  story  of  his  safety, 
when  he  has  already  fallen  a  victim  to  the  fury  of  that  animal." 

When  she  had  caught  this  idea,  she  started  from  the  ground 
and  endeavoured  to  press  towards  the  avenue  in  which  the  ac- 
cident had  taken  place,  while  the  stranger,  though  he  seemed 
to  hesitate  between  the  desire  to  assist  and  the  wish  to  leave 
her,  was  obliged,  in  common  humanity,  to  oppose  her  both  by 
entreaty  and  action. 

"  On  the  word  of  a  gentleman,  madam,  I  tell  you  the  truth ; 
your  father  is  in  perfect  safety ;  you  will  expose  yourself  to 
mjury  if  you  venture  back  where  the  herd  of  wild  cattle 
grazed.  If  you  will  go" — for,  having  once  adopted  the  idea 
that  her  father  was  still  in  danger,  she  pressed  forward  in 
spite  of  him — "  if  you  vi/l  go,  accept  my  arm,  though  I  am 
not  perhaps  the  person  who  can  with  most  propriety  offer  you 
support. " 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  69 

But,  without  heeding  this  intimation,  Lucy  took  him  at  his 
word.  "  Oh,  if  you  be  a  man,"  she  said — "  if  you  be  a  gentle- 
man, assist  me  to  find  my  father!  You  shall  not  leave  me — 
you  must  go  with  me;  he  is  dying  perhaps  while  we  are  talk- 
ing here!" 

Then,  without  listening  to  excuse  or  apology,  and  holding 
fast  by  the  stranger's  arm,  though  unconscious  of  anything 
save  the  support  which  it  gave,  and  without  which  she  could 
not  have  moved,  mixed  with  a  vague  feeling  of  preventing  his 
escape  from  her,  she  was  urging,  and  almost  dragging,  him 
forward  when  Sir  William  Ashton  came  up,  followed  by  the 
female  attendant  of  blind  Alice,  and  by  two  woodcutters, 
whom  he  had  summoned  from  their  occupation  to  his  assist- 
ance. His  joy  at  seeing  his  daughter  safe  overcame  the  sur- 
prise with  which  he  would  at  another  time  have  beheld  her 
hanging  as  familiarly  on  the  arm  of  a  stranger  as  she  might 
have  done  upon  his  own. 

"Lucy,  my  dear  Lucy,  are  you  safe? — are  you  well?"  were 
the  only  words  that  broke  from  him  as  he  embraced  her  in 
ecstasy. 

"I  am  well,  sir,  thank  God!  and  still  more  that  I  see  j^ou 
so;  but  this  gentleman,"  she  said,  quitting  his  arm  and 
shrinking  from  him,  "what  must  he  think  of  me?"  and  her 
eloquent  blood,  flushing  over  neck  and  brow,  spoke  how  much 
she  was  ashamed  of  the  freedom  with  which  she  had  craved, 
and  even  compelled,  his  assistance. 

"  This  gentleman,"  said  Sir  William  Ashton,  "will,  I  trust, 
not  regret  the  trouble  we  have  given  him,  when  I  assure  him 
of  the  gratitude  of  the  Lord  Keeper  for  the  greatest  service 
which  one  man  ever  rendered  to  another — for  the  life  of  my 
child — for  my  own  life,  which  he  has  saved  by  his  bravery 
and  presence  of  mind.  He  will,  I  am  sure,  permit  us  to 
request " 

"  Request  nothing  of  me,  my  lord, "  said  the  stranger,  in  a 
stern  and  peremptory  tone ;  "  I  am  the  Master  of  Ravens- 
wood.  " 

There  was  a  dead  pause  of  surprise,  not  unmixed  with  less 
pleasant  feelings.     The  Master  wrapt  himself  in  his  cloak, 


70  WAYERLEY  NOVELS. 

made  a  haughty  inclination  toward  Lucy,  muttering  a  few 
words  of  courtesy,  as  indistinctly  heard  as  they  seemed  to  be 
reluctantly  uttered,  and,  turning  from  them,  was  immedi- 
ately lost  in  the  thicket. 

"The  Master  of  Eavenswood!"  said  the  Lord  Keeper,  when 
he  had  recovered  his  momentary  astonishment.  "  Hasten 
after  him — stop  him — beg  him  to  speak  to  me  for  a  single 
moment. '' 

The  two  foresters  accordingly  set  off  in  pursuit  of  the  stran- 
ger. They  speedily  reappeared,  and,  in  an  embarrassed  and 
awkward  manner,  said  the  gentleman  would  not  return. 

The  Lord  Keeper  took  one  of  the  fellows  aside,  and  ques- 
tioned him  more  closely  what  the  Master  of  Eavenswood  had 
said. 

"He  just  said  he  wadna  come  back,"  said  the  man,  with 
the  caution  of  a  prudent  Scotchman,  who  cared  not  to  be  the 
bearer  of  an  unpleasant  errand. 

"  He  said  something  more,  sir, "  said  the  Lord  Keeper,  "  and 
I  insist  on  knowing  what  it  was." 

"Why,  then,  my  lord,"  said  the  man,  looking  down,  "he 

said But  it  wad  be  nae  pleasure  to  your  lordship  to  hear 

it,  for  I  dare  say  the  Master  meant  nae  ill. " 

"  That's  none  of  your  concern,  sir;  I  desire  to  hear  the  very 
words." 

"  Weel,  then,"  replied  the  man,  "he  said,  'Tell  Sir  William 
Ashton  that  the  next  time  he  and  I  forgather,  he  will  not  be 
half  sae  blythe  of  our  meeting  as  of  our  parting. '  " 

"  Very  well,  sir, "  said  the  Lord  Keeper,  "  I  believe  he  al- 
ludes to  a  wager  we  have  on  our  hawks ;  it  is  a  matter  of  no 
consequence. " 

He  turned  to  his  daughter,  who  was  by  this  time  so  much 
recovered  as  to  be  able  to  walk  home.  But  the  effect,  which 
the  various  recollections  connected  with  a  scene  so  terrific 
made  upon  a  mind  which  was  susceptible  in  an  extreme  de- 
gree, was  more  permanent  than  the  injury  which  her  nerves 
had  sustained.  Visions  of  terror,  both  in  sleep  and  in  wak- 
ing reveries,  recalled  to  her  the  form  of  the  furious  animal, 
and  the  dreadful  bellow  with  which  he  accompanied  his  ca- 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  71 

reer;  and  it  was  always  the  image  of  the  Master  of  Ravens- 
wood,  with  his  native  nobleness  of  countenance  and  form,  that 
seemed  to  interpose  betwixt  her  and  assured  death.  It  is, 
perhaps,  at  all  times  dangerous  for  a  young  person  to  suffer 
recollection  to  dwell  repeatedly,  and  with  too  much  compla- 
cency, on  the  same  individual;  but  in  Lucy's  situation  it  was 
almost  unavoidable.  She  had  never  happened  to  see  a  young 
man  of  mien  and  features  so  romantic  and  so  striking  as  young 
Ravenswood;  but  had  she  seen  an  hundred  his  equals  or  his 
superiors  in  those  particulars,  no  one  else  could  have  been 
linked  to  her  heart  by  the  strong  associations  of  remembered 
danger  and  escape,  of  gratitude,  wonder,  and  curiosity.  I  say 
curiosity,  for  it  is  likely  that  the  singularly  restrained  and 
unaccommodating  manners  of  the  Master  of  Ravenswood,  so 
much  at  variance  with  the  natural  expression  of  his  features 
and  grace  of  his  deportment,  as  they  excited  wonder  by  the 
contrast,  had  their  effect  in  riveting  her  attention  to  the  rec- 
ollection. She  knew  little  of  Ravenswood,  or  the  disputes 
which  had  existed  betwixt  her  father  and  his,  and  perhaps 
could  in  her  gentleness  of  mind  hardly  have  comprehended 
the  angry  and  bitter  passions  which  they  had  engendered. 
But  she  knew  that  he  was  come  of  noble  stem ;  was  poor, 
though  descended  from  the  noble  and  the  wealthy;  and  she 
felt  that  she  could  sympathise  with  the  feelings  of  a  proud 
mind,  which  urged  him  to  recoil  from  the  proffered  gratitude 
of  the  new  proprietors  of  his  father's  house  and  domains. 
Would  he  have  equally  shunned  their  acknowledgments  and 
avoided  their  intimacy,  had  her  father's  request  been  urged 
more  mildly,  less  abruptly,  and  softened  with  the  grace  which 
women  so  well  know  how  to  throw  into  their  manner,  when 
they  mean  to  mediate  betwixt  the  headlong  passions  of  the 
ruder  sex?  This  was  a  perilous  question  to  ask  her  own 
mind— perilous  both  in  the  idea  and  in  its  consequences. 

Lucy  Ashton,  in  short,  was  involved  in  those  mazes  of  the 
imagination  which  are  most  dangerous  to  the  young  and  the 
sensitive.  Time,  it  is  true,  absence,  change  of  scene  and  new 
faces,  might  probably  have  destroyed  the  illusion  in  her  in- 
stance, as  it  has  done  in  many  others ;  but  her  residence  re- 


72  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

mained  solitary,  and  her  mind  without  those  means  of  dissi- 
pating her  pleasing  visions.  This  solitude  was  chiefly  owing 
to  the  absence  of  Lady  Ashton,  who  was  at  this  time  in  Edin- 
burgh, watching  the  progress  of  some  state-intrigue ;  the  Lord 
Keeper  only  received  society  out  of  policy  or  ostentation,  and 
was  by  nature  rather  reserved  and  unsociable;  and  thus  no 
cavalier  appeared  to  rival  or  to  obscure  the  ideal  picture  of 
chivalrous  excellence  which  Lucy  had  pictured  to  herself  in 
the  Master  of  Ravens  wood. 

While  Lucy  indulged  in  these  dreams,  she  made  frequent 
visits  to  old  blind  Alice,  hoping  it  would  be  easy  to  lead  her 
to  talk  on  the  subject  which  at  present  she  had  so  imprudent- 
ly admitted  to  occupy  so  large  a  portion  of  her  thoughts.  But 
Alice  did  not  in  this  particular  gratify  her  wishes  and  expecta- 
tions. She  spoke  readily,  and  with  pathetic  feeling,  concern- 
ing the  family  in  general,  but  seemed  to  observe  an  especial 
and  cautious  silence  on  the  subject  of  the  present  representa- 
tive. The  little  she  said  of  him  was  not  altogether  so  favour- 
able as  Lucy  had  anticipated.  She  hinted  that  he  was  of 
a  stern  and  unforgiving  character,  more  ready  to  resent  than 
to  pardon  injuries;  and  Lucy  combined,  with  great  alarm,  the 
hints  which  she  now  dropped  of  these  dangerous  qualities 
with  Alice's  advice  to  her  father,  so  emphatically  given,  "to 
beware  of  Ravenswood." 

But  that  very  Ravenswood,  of  whom  such  unjust  suspicions 
had  been  entertained,  had,  almost  immediately  after  they  had 
been  uttered,  confuted  them  by  saving  at  once  her  father's 
life  and  her  own.  Had  he  nourished  such  black  revenge  as 
Alice's  dark  hints  seemed  to  indicate,  no  deed  of  active  guilt 
was  necessary  to  the  full  gratification  of  that  evil  passion. 
He  needed  but  to  have  withheld  for  an  instant  his  indispens- 
able and  effective  assistance,  and  the  object  of  his  resent- 
ment must  have  perished,  without  any  direct  aggression  on 
his  part,  by  a  death  equally  fearful  and  certain.  She  con- 
ceived, therefore,  that  some  secret  prejudice,  or  the  suspicions 
incident  to  age  and  misfortune,  had  led  Alice  to  form  conclu- 
sions injurious  to  the  character,  and  irreconcilable  both  with 
the  generous  conduct  and  noble  features,  of  the  Master  of 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  'J'3 

Eavenswood.  And  in  this  belief  Lucy  reposed  her  hope,  and 
went  on  weaving  her  enchanted  web  of  fairy  tissue,  as  beauti- 
ful and  transient  as  the  film  of  the  gossamer  when  it  is  pearled 
with  the  morning  dew  and  glimmering  to  the  sun. 

Her  father,  in  the  mean  while,  as  well  as  the  Master  of 
Eavenswood,  Avere  making  reflections,  as  frequent  though  more 
solid  than  those  of  Lucy,  upon  the  singular  event  which  had 
taken  place.  The  Lord  Keeper's  first  task,  when  he  returned 
home,  was  to  ascertain  by  medical  advice  that  his  daughter 
had  sustained  no  injury  from  the  dangerous  and  alarming  situ- 
ation in  which  she  had  been  placed.  Satisfied  on  this  topic, 
he  proceeded  to  revise  the  memoranda  which  he  had  taken 
down  from  the  mouth  of  the  person  employed  to  interrupt  the 
funeral  service  of  the  late  Lord  Eavenswood.  Bred  to  casu- 
istry, and  well  accustomed  to  practise  the  ambidexter  ingenu- 
ity of  the  bar,  it  cost  him  little  trouble  to  soften  the  features 
of  the  tumult  which  he  had  been  at  first  so  anxious  to  exag- 
gerate. He  preached  to  his  colleagues  of  the  privy  council 
the  necessity  of  using  conciliatory  measures  with  young  men, 
whose  blood  and  temper  were  hot,  and  their  experience  of  life 
limited.  He  did  not  hesitate  to  attribute  some  censure  to  the 
conduct  of  the  officer,  as  having  been  unnecessarily  irritating. 

These  were  the  contents  of  his  public  despatches.  The 
letters  which  he  wrote  to  those  private  friends  into  whose 
management  the  matter  was  likely  to  fall  were  of  a  yet  more 
favourable  tenor.  He  represented  that  lenity  in  this  case 
would  be  equally  politic  and  popular,  whereas,  considering 
the  high  respect  with  which  the  rites  of  interment  are  regard- 
ed in  Scotland,  any  severity  exercised  against  the  Master  of 
Eavenswood  for  protecting  those  of  his  father  from  interrup- 
tion, would  be  on  all  sides  most  unfavourably  construed. 
And,  finally,  assuming  the  language  of  a  generous  and  high- 
spirited  man,  he  made  it  his  particular  request  that  this  affair 
should  be  passed  over  without  severe  notice.  He  alluded  with 
delicacy  to  the  predicament  in  which  he  himself  stood  with 
young  Eavenswood,  as  having  succeeded  in  the  long  train  of 
litigation  by  which  the  fortunes  of  that  noble  house  had  been 
so  much  reduced,  and  confessed  it  would  be  most  peculiarly 


74  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

acceptable  to  liis  own  feelings^  could  he  find  means  in  some 
sort  to  counterbalance  the  disadvantages  which  he  had  occa- 
sioned the  family,  though  only  in  the  prosecution  of  his  just 
and  lawful  rights.  He  therefore  made  it  his  particular  and 
personal  request  that  the  matter  should  have  no  farther  con- 
sequences, and  insinuated  a  desire  that  he  himself  should 
have  the  merit  of  having  put  a  stop  to  it  by  his  favourable 
report  and  intercession.  It  was  particularly  remarkable  that, 
contrary  to  his  uniform  practice,  he  made  no  special  commu- 
nication to  Lady  Ashton  upon  the  subject  of  the  tumult;  and 
although  he  mentioned  the  alarm  which  Lucy  had  received 
from  one  of  the  wild  cattle,  yet  he  gave  no  detailed  account 
of  an  incident  so  interesting  and  terrible. 

There  was  much  surprise  among  Sir  William  Ashton' s  polit- 
ical friends  and  colleagues  on  receiving  letters  of  a  tenor  so 
unexpected.  On  comparing  notes  together,  one  smiled,  one 
put  up  his  eyebrows,  a  third  nodded  acquiescence  in  the  gen- 
eral wonder,  and  a  fourth  asked  if  they  were  sure  these  were 
all  the  letters  the  Lord  Keeper  had  written  on  the  subject. 
"  It  runs  strangely  in  my  mind,  my  lords,  that  none  of  these 
advices  contain  the  root  of  the  matter." 

But  no  secret  letters  of  a  contrary  nature  had  been  received, 
although  the  question  seemed  to  imply  the  possibility  of  their 
existence. 

"  Well,"  said  an  old  grey-headed  statesman,  who  had  con- 
trived, by  shifting  and  trimming,  to  maintain  his  post  at  the 
steerage  through  all  the  changes  of  course  which  the  vessel 
had  held  for  thirty  years,  "  I  thought  Sir  William  would  hae 
verified  the  auld  Scottish  saying,  'As  soon  comes  the  lamb's 
skin  to  market  as  the  auld  tup's.'  " 

"  We  must  please  him  after  his  own  fashion,"  said  another, 
"  though  it  be  an  unlooked-for  one. " 

"A  wilful  man  maun  hae  his  way,"  answered  the  old  coun- 
sellor. 

"  The  Keeper  will  rue  this  before  year  and  day  are  out, " 
said  a  third ;  "  the  Master  of  Eavenswood  is  the  lad  to  wind 
him  a  pirn." 

"  Why,  what  would  you  do,  my  lords,  with  the  poor  young 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  75 

fellow?"  said  a  noble  Marquis  present.  "The  Lord  Keeper 
has  got  all  his  estates;  he  has  not  a  cross  to  bless  himself 
with." 

On  which  the  ancient  Lord  Turntippet  replied 

"  If  he  hasna  gear  to  fine, 
He  has  shins  to  pine. 

And  that  was  our  way  before  the  Revolution:  Luitur  cum 
persona,  qui  luere  non  potest  cum  crumena.  Hegh,  my  lords, 
that's  gude  law  Latin." 

"  I  can  see  no  motive, "  replied  the  Marquis,  "  that  any  noble 
lord  can  have  for  urging  this  matter  farther;  let  the  Lord 
Keeper  have  the  power  to  deal  in  it  as  he  pleases." 

"  Agree,  agree — remit  to  the  Lord  Keeper,  with  any  other 
person  for  fashion's  sake — Lord  Hirplehooly,  who  is  bed-rid- 
den— one  to  be  a  quorum.  Make  your  entry  in  the  minutes, 
Mr.  Clerk.  And  now,  my  lords,  there  is  that  young  scatter- 
good  the  Laird  of  Bucklaw's  fine  to  be  disponed  upon.  I 
suppose  it  goes  to  my  Lord  Treasurer?" 

"  Shame  be  in  ni}^  meal-poke,  then, "  exclaimed  Lord  Turn- 
tippet, "  and  3^our  hand  aye  in  the  nook  of  it !  I  had  set  that 
down  for  a  bye-bit  between  meals  for  mysell." 

"  To  use  one  of  your  favourite  saws,  my  lord, "  replied  the 
Marquis,  "you  are  like  the  miller's  dog,  that  licks  his  lips 
before  the  bag  is  untied:  the  man  is  not  fined  yet." 

"  But  that  costs  but  twa  skarts  of  a  pen,"  said  Lord  Turn- 
tippet ;  "  and  surely  there  is  nae  noble  lord  that  will  presume 
to  say  that  I,  wha  hae  complied  wi'  a'  compliances,  taen  all 
manner  of  tests,  abjured  all  that  was  to  be  abjured,  and  sworn 
a'  that  was  to  be  sworn,  for  these  thirty  years  bye-past,  stick- 
ing fast  by  my  duty  to  the  state  through  good  report  and  bad 
report,  shouldna  hae  something  now  and  then  to  synd  my 
mouth  wi'  after  sic  drouthy  wark?     Eh?" 

"  It  would  be  very  unreasonable  indeed,  my  lord, "  replied 
the  Marquis,  "had  we  either  thought  that  your  lordship's 
drought  was  quenchable,  or  observed  anything  stick  in  yowv 
throat  that  required  washing  down." 

And  so  we  close  the  scene  on  the  privy  council  of  that  period. 


76  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 


CHAPTER   YI. 

For  this  are  all  these  warriors  come, 

To  hear  an  idle  tale  ; 
And  o'er  our  death-accustom' d  arms 

Shall  silly  tears  prevail  ? 

Henry  Mackenzie. 

On  the  evening  of  the  day  when  the  Lord  Keeper  and  his 
daughter  were  saved  from  such  imminent  peril,  two  strangers 
were  seated  in  the  most  private  apartment  of  a  small  obscure 
inn,  or  rather  alehouse,  called  the  Tod's  Den  [Hole],  about 
three  or  four  [five  or  six]  miles  from  the  Castle  of  Ravens- 
wood  and  as  far  from  the  ruinous  tower  of  Wolf's  Crag,  be- 
twixt which  two  places  it  was  situated. 

One  of  these  strangers  was  about  forty  years  of  age,  tall, 
and  thin  in  the  flanks,  with  an  aquiline  nose,  dark  penetrat- 
ing eyes,  and  a  shrewd  but  sinister  cast  of  countenance.  The 
other  was  about  fifteen  years  younger,  short,  stout,  ruddy- 
faced,  and  red-haired,  with  an  open,  resolute,  and  cheerful 
eye,  to  which  careless  and  fearless  freedom  and  inward  dar- 
ing gave  fire  and  expression,  notwithstanding  its  light  grey 
colour.  A  stoup  of  wine  (for  in  those  days  it  was  served  out 
from  the  cask  in  pewter  flagons)  was  placed  on  the  table,  and 
each  had  his  quaigh  or  bicker  before  him.  But  there  was 
little  appearance  of  conviviality.  With  folded  arms,  and  looks 
of  anxious  expectation,  they  eyed  each  other  in  silence,  each 
wrapt  in  his  own  thoughts,  and  holding  no  communication 
with  his  neighbour.  At  length  the  younger  broke  silence  by 
exclaiming :  "  AVhat  the  foul  fiend  can  detain  the  Master  so 
long?  He  must  have  miscarried  in  his  enterprise.  Why  did 
you  dissuade  me  from  going  with  him?" 

"  One  man  is  enough  to  right  his  own  wrong, "  said  the 
taller  and  older  personage;  "we  venture  our  lives  for  him 
in  coming  thus  far  on  such  an  errand." 

"  You  are  but  a  craven  after  all,  Craigengelt, "  answered  the 
younger,  "  and  that's  what  many  folk  have  thought  you  before 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  77 

"But  what  none  has  dared  to  tell  me,"  said  Craigengelt, 
laymg  his  hand  on  the  hilt  of  his  sword;  "and,  but  that  I 

hold  a  hasty  man  no  better  than  a  fool,  I  would "  he  paused 

for  his  companion's  answer. 

"  Would  you?"  said  the  other,  coolly;  "and  why  do  you 
not  then?" 

Craigengelt  drew  his  cutlass  an  inch  or  two,  and  then  re- 
turned it  with  violence  into  the  scabbard — "  Because  there  is 
a  deeper  stake  to  be  played  for  than  the  lives  of  twenty  hare- 
brained gowks  like  you." 

"You  are  right  there,"  said  his  companion,  "for  if  it  were 
not  that  these  forfeitures,  and  that  last  fine  that  the  old  driv- 
eller Turntippet  is  gaping  for,  and  which,  I  dare  say,  is  laid 
on  by  this  time,  have  fairly  driven  me  out  of  house  and  home, 
I  were  a  coxcomb  and  a  cuckoo  to  boot  to  trust  your  fair  prom- 
ises of  getting  me  a  commission  in  the  Irish  brigade.  What 
have  I  to  do  with  the  Irish  brigade?  I  am  a  plain  Scotch- 
man, as  my  father  was  before  me;  and  my  grand-aunt,  Lady 
Girnington,  cannot  live  for  ever." 

"Ay,  Bucklaw,"  observed  Craigengelt,  "but  she  may  live 
for  many  a  long  day ;  and  for  your  father,  he  had  land  and 
living,  kept  himself  close  from  wadsetters  and  money-lenders, 
paid  each  man  his  due,  and  lived  on  his  own." 

"And  whose  fault  is  it  that  I  have  not  done  so  too?"  said 
Bucklaw — "  whose  but  the  devil's  and  yours,  and  such-like  as 
you,  that  have  led  me  to  the  far  end  of  a  fair  estate?  And 
now  I  shall  be  obliged,  I  suppose,  to  shelter  and  shift  about 
like  yourself :  live  one  week  upon  a  line  of  secret  intelligence 
from  Saint  Germains ;  another  upon  a  report  of  a  rising  in  the 
Highlands ;  get  my  breakfast  and  morning  draught  of  sack 
from  old  Jacobite  ladies,  and  give  them  locks  of  my  old  wig 
for  the  Chevalier's  hair;  second  my  friend  in  his  quarrel  till 
he  comes  to  the  field,  and  then  flinch  from  him  lest  so  impor- 
tant a  political  agent  should  perish  from  the  way.  All  this  I 
must  do  for  bread,  besides  calling  myself  a  captain!" 

"  You  think  you  are  making  a  fine  speech  now, "  said  Craig- 
engelt, "  and  showing  much  wit  at  my  expense.  Is  starving 
or  hanging  better  than  the  life  I  am  obliged  to  lead,  because 


78  WAYERLEY  NOVELS. 

the  present  fortunes  of  the  king  cannot  sufficiently  support  his 
envoys?" 

"  Starving  is  honester,  Craigengelt,  and  hanging  is  like  to 
be  the  end  on't.  But  what  you  mean  to  make  of  this  poor 
fellow  Ravenswood,  I  know  not.  He  has  no  money  left,  any 
more  than  I ;  his  lands  are  all  pawned  and  pledged,  and  the 
interest  eats  up  the  rents,  and  is  not  satisfied,  and  what  do 
you  hope  to  make  by  meddling  in  his  affairs?" 

"  Content  yourself,  Bucklaw ;  I  know  my  business, "  replied 
Craigengelt.  "Besides  that  his  name,  and  his  father's  ser- 
vices in  1(389,  will  make  such  an  acquisition  sound  well  both 
at  Versailles  and  Saint  Germains,  you  will  also  please  be  in- 
formed that  the  Master  of  Ravenswood  is  a  very  different 
kind  of  a  young  fellow  from  you.  He  has  parts  and  address, 
as  well  as  courage  and  talents,  and  will  present  himself  abroad 
like  a  young  man  of  head  as  well  as  heart,  who  knows  some- 
thing more  than  the  speed  of  a  horse  or  the  flight  of  a  hawk. 
I  have  lost  credit  of  late,  by  bringing  over  no  one  that  had 
sense  to  know  more  than  how  to  unharbour  a  stag,  or  take  and 
reclaim  an  eyas.  The  Master  has  education,  sense,  and  pene- 
tration." 

"  And  yet  is  not  wise  enough  to  escape  the  tricks  of  a  kid- 
napper, Craigengelt?"  replied  the  younger  man.  "  But  don't 
be  angry ;  you  know  you  will  not  fight,  and  so  it  is  as  well  to 
leave  your  hilt  in  peace  and  quiet,  and  tell  me  in  sober  guise 
how  you  drew  the  Master  into  your  confidence?" 

"By  flattering  his  love  of  vengeance,  Bucklaw,"  answered 
Craigengelt.  "  He  has  always  distrusted  me ;  but  I  watched 
my  time,  and  struck  while  his  temper  was  red-hot  with  the 
sense  of  insult  and  of  wrong.  He  goes  now  to  expostulate, 
as  he  says,  and  perhaps  thinks,  with  Sir  William  Ashton.  I 
say,  that  if  they  meet,  and  the  lawyer  puts  him  to  his  de- 
fence, the  Master  will  kill  him ;  for  he  had  that  sparkle  in 
his  eye  which  never  deceives  you  when  you  would  read  a 
man's  purpose.  At  any  rate,  he  will  give  him  such  a  bully- 
ing as  will  be  construed  into  an  assault  on  a  privy  councillor; 
so  there  will  be  a  total  breach  betwixt  him  and  government. 
Scotland  will  be  too  hot  for  him ;  France  will  gain  him ;  and 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  79 

we  will  all  set  sail  together  in  the  French  brig  'L'Espoir,' 
which  is  hovering  for  us  off  Eyemouth.'' 

"Content  am  I,"  said  Bucklaw;  "Scotland  has  little  left 
that  I  care  about;  and  if  carrying  the  Master  with  us  will 
get  us  a  better  reception  in  France,  why,  so  be  it,  a  God's 
name.  I  doubt  our  own  merits  will  procure  us  slender  pre- 
ferment; and  I  trust  he  will  send  a  ball  through  the  Keeper's 
head  before  he  joins  us.  One  or  two  of  these  scoundrel  states- 
men should  be  shot  once  a  year,  just  to  keep  the  others  on 
their  good  behaviour." 

"  That  is  very  true, "  replied  Craigengelt ;  "  and  it  reminds 
me  that  I  must  go  and  see  that  our  horses  have  been  fed  and 
are  in  readiness;  for,  should  such  deed  be  done,  it  will  be 
no  time  for  grass  to  grow  beneath  their  heels."  He  proceeded 
as  far  as  the  door,  then  turned  back  with  a  look  of  earnest- 
ness, and  said  to  Bucklaw:  "Whatever  should  come  of  this 
business,  I  am  sure  you  will  do  me  the  justice  to  remember 
that  I  said  nothing  to  the  Master  which  could  imply  my  ac- 
cession to  any  act  of  violence  which  he  may  take  it  into  his 
head  to  commit." 

"  No,  no,  not  a  single  word  like  accession, "  replied  Buck- 
law  ;  "  you  know  too  well  the  risk  belonging  to  these  two  ter- 
rible words,  'art  and  part. '  "  Then,  as  if  to  himself,  he  recited 
the  following  lines : 

"  The  dial  spoke  not,  but  it  made  shrewd  signs, 
And  pointed  full  upon  the  stroke  of  murder. 

"  What  is  that  you  are  talking  to  yourself?"  said  Craigen- 
gelt, turning  back  with  some  anxiety. 

"  Nothing,  only  two  lines  I  have  heard  upon  the  stage, "  re- 
plied his  companion. 

"  Bucklaw, "  said  Craigengelt,  "  I  sometimes  think  you  should 
have  been  a  stage-player  yourself ;  all  is  fancy  and  frolic  with 
you." 

"  I  have  often  thought  so  myself, "  said  Bucklaw.  "  I  be- 
lieve it  would  be  safer  than  acting  with  you  in  the  Fatal  Con- 
spiracy. But  away,  play  your  own  part,  and  look  after  the 
horses  like  a  groom  as  you  are,     A  play-actor — a  stage-play- 


80  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

er!"  he  repeated  to  himself;  "that  would  have  deserved  a 
stab,  but  that  Craigengelt's  a  coward.  And  yet  I  should  like 
the  profession  well  enough.  Stay,  let  me  see;  ay,  I  would 
come  out  in  Alexandei' : 

Thus  from  the  grave  I  rise  to  save  my  love, 
Draw  all  your  swords,  and  quick  as  lightning  move. 
When  I  rush  on,  sure  none  will  dare  to  stay  ; 
'Tis  love  commands,  and  glory  leads  the  way." 

As  with  a  voice  of  thunder,  and  his  hand  upon  his  sword, 
Bucklaw  repeated  the  ranting  couplets  of  poor  Lee,  Craigen- 
gelt  re-entered  with  a  face  of  alarm. 

"  We  are  undone,  Bucklaw !  The  Master's  led  horse  has  cast 
himself  over  his  halter  in  the  stable,  and  is  dead  lame.  His 
hackney  will  be  set  up  with  the  day's  work,  and  now  he  has 
no  fresh  horse ;  he  will  never  get  off. " 

"  Egad,  there  will  be  no  moving  with  the  speed  of  lightning 
this  bout, "  said  Bucklaw,  drily.  "  But  stay,  you  can  give 
him  yours." 

"What!  and  be  taken  myself?  I  thank  you  for  the  pro- 
posal," said  Craigengelt. 

"  Why, "  replied  Bucklaw,  "  if  the  Lord  Keeper  should  have 
met  with  a  mischance,  which  for  my  part  I  cannot  suppose, 
for  the  Master  is  not  the  lad  to  shoot  an  old  and  unarmed 
man — but  if  there  should  have  been  a  fray  at  the  Castle,  you 
are  neither  art  nor  part  in  it,  you  know,  so  have  nothing  to 
fear." 

"True,  true,"  answered  the  other,  with  embarrassment; 
"but  consider  my  commission  from  Saint  Germains." 

"  Which  many  men  think  is  a  commission  of  your  own  mak- 
ing, noble  Captain.  Well,  if  you  will  not  give  him  your  horse, 
why,  d — n  it,  he  must  have  mine." 

"  Yours?"  said  Craigengelt. 

"Ay,  mine,"  repeated  Bucklaw;  "it  shall  never  be  said 
that  I  agreed  to  back  a  gentleman  in  a  little  affair  of  honour, 
and  neither  helped  him  oh  with  it  nor  off'  from  it." 

"You  will  give  him  your  horse?  and  have  you  considered 
the  loss?" 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  81 

"Loss!  why,  Grey  Gilbert  cost  nie  twenty  Jacobuses,  that's 
true;  but  then  his  hackney  is  worth  something,  and  his  Black 
Moor  is  worth  twice  as  much  were  he  sound,  and  I  know  how 
to  handle  him.  Take  a  fat  sucking  mastiff  whelp,  flay  and 
bowel  him,  stuff  the  body  full  of  black  and  grey  snails,  roast 
a  reasonable  time,  and  baste  with  oil  of  spikenard,  saffron, 
cinnamon,  and  honey,  anoint  with  the  dripping,  working  it 
in " 

"  Yes,  Bucklaw ;  but  in  the  mean  while,  before  the  sprain  is 
cured,  nay,  before  the  whelp  is  roasted,  you  will  be  caught  and 
hung.  Depend  on  it,  the  chase  will  be  hard  after  Ravens- 
wood.  I  wish  we  had  made  our  place  of  rendezvous  nearer  to 
the  coast." 

"On  my  faith,  then,"  said  Bucklaw,  "I  had  best  go  off 
just  now,  and  leave  my  horse  for  him.  Stay — stay,  he  comes : 
I  hear  a  horse's  feet." 

"Are  you  sure  there  is  only  one?"  said  Craigengelt.  "I 
fear  there  is  a  chase ;  I  think  I  hear  three  or  four  galloping 
together.     I  am  sure  I  hear  more  horses  than  one. " 

"  Pooh,  pooh,  it  is  the  wench  of  the  house  clattering  to  the 
well  in  her  pattens.  By  my  faith.  Captain,  you  should  give 
up  both  your  captainship  and  your  secret  service,  for  you  are 
as  easily  scared  as  a  wild  goose.  But  here  comes  the  Master 
alone,  and  looking  as  gloomy  as  a  night  in  November." 

The  Master  of  Ravenswood  entered  the  room  accordingly, 
his  cloak  muffled  around  him,  his  arms  folded,  his  looks  stern, 
and  at  the  same  time  dejected.  He  flung  his  cloak  from  him 
as  he  entered,  threw  himself  upon  a  chair,  and  appeared  sunk 
in  a  profound  reverie. 

"What  has  happened?  What  have  you  done?"  was  has- 
tily demanded  by  Craigeii^lt  and  Bucklaw  in  the  same  mo- 
ment. /- ,  v'^'  *  '        ^v 

"  Nothing !"  was  the  short  and  sullen  a^wer. 

"Nothing!  an  deleft  us,  determined  to  liklithe  old  villain  to 
account  for  all  the  injuries  that  you,  w€^  aSd^the  country  have 
received  at  his  hintR*  \  Have  you  seen  him?" 

"I  have,"  replfeo^fehV  Mkster  of  Ravenswood. 

"Seen  him — anol^come^away  without  settling  scores  which 


^V:P353 


82  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

have  been  so  long  due?"  said  Bucklaw;  "I  would  not  have 
expected  that  at  the  hand  of  the  Master  of  Ravenswood." 

"  No  matter  what  you  expected, "  replied  Eavenswood ;  "  it 
is  not  to  you,  sir,  that  I  shall  be  disposed  to  render  any  rea- 
son for  my  conduct." 

"Patience,  Bucklaw,"  said  Craigengelt,  interrupting  his 
companion,  who  seemed  about  to  make  an  angry  reply.  "  The 
Master  has  been  interrupted  in  his  purpose  by  some  accident; 
but  he  must  excuse  the  anxious  curiosity  of  friends  w^ho  are 
devoted  to  his  cause  like  you  and  me." 

"Friends,  Captain  Craigengelt!"  retorted  Eavenswood, 
haughtily ;  "  I  am  ignorant  what  familiarity  has  passed  be- 
twixt us  to  entitle  you  to  use  that  expression.  I  think  our 
friendship  amounts  to  this,  that  we  agreed  to  leave  Scotland 
together  so  soon  as  I  should  have  visited  the  alienated  man- 
sion of  my  fathers,  and  had  an  interview  with  its  present  pos- 
sessor— I  will  not  call  him  proprietor." 

"Very  true.  Master,"  answered  Bucklaw;  "and  as  we 
thought  you  had  a  mind  to  do  something  to  put  your  neck 
in  jeopardy,  Craigie  and  I  very  courteously  agreed  to  tarry 
for  you,  although  ours  might  run  some  risk  in  consequence. 
As  to  Craigie,  indeed,  it  does  not  very  much  signify :  he  had 
gallows  written  on  his  brow  in  the  hour  of  his  birth;  but  I 
should  not  like  to  discredit  my  parentage  by  coming  to  such 
an  end  in  another  man's  cause." 

"Gentlemen,"  said  the  Master  of  Eavenswood,  "I  am  sorry 
if  I  have  occasioned  you  any  inconvenience,  but  I  must  claim 
the  right  of  judging  what  is  best  for  my  own  affairs,  without 
rendering  explanations  to  any  one.  I  have  altered  my  mind, 
and  do  not  design  to  leave  the  country  this  season." 

'^Not  to  leave  the  country.  Master!"  exclaimed  Craigengelt. 
"  Not  to  go  over,  after  all  the  trouble  and  expense  I  have  in- 
curred— after  all  the  risk  of  discovery,  and  the  expense  of 
freight  and  demurrage!" 

"  Sir,"  replied  the  Master  of  Eavenswood,  "  when  I  designed 
to  leave  this  country  in  this  haste,  I  made  use  of  your  obliging 
offer  to  procure  me  means  of  conveyance ;  but  I  do  not  recol- 
lect that  I  pledged  myself  to  go  off,  if  I  found  occasion  to  alter 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  83 

my  mind.  For  your  trouble  on  my  account,  I  am  sorry,  and 
I  thank  you ;  your  expense, "  he  added,  putting  his  hand  into 
his  pocket,  "  admits  a  more  solid  compensation :  freight  and 
demurrage  are  matters  with  which  I  am  unacquainted.  Cap- 
tain Craigengelt,  but  take  my  purse  and  pay  yourself  accord- 
ing ,to  your  own  conscience."  And  accordingly  he  tendered 
a  purse  with  some  gold  in  it  to  the  soi-disant  captain. 

But  here  Bucklaw  interposed  in  his  turn.  "  Your  fingers, 
Craigie,  seem  to  itch  for  that  same  piece  of  green  network," 
said  he ;  "  but  I  make  my  vow  to  God,  that  if  they  offer  to 
close  upon  it,  I  will  chop  them  off  with  my  whinger.  Since 
the  Master  has  changed  his  mind,  I  suppose  we  need  stay 
here  no  longer;  but  in  the  first  place  I  beg  leave  to  tell 
him " 

"  Tell  him  anything  you  will, "  said  Craigengelt,  "  if  you  will 
first  allow  me  to  state  the  inconveniences  to  which  he  will  ex- 
pose himself  by  quitting  our  society,  to  remind  him  of  the 
obstacles  to  his  remaining  here,  and  of  the  difficulties  attend- 
ing his  proper  introduction  at  Versailles  and  Saint  Germains 
without  the  countenance  of  those  who  have  established  useful 
connexions. " 

"Besides  forfeiting  the  friendship,"  said  Bucklaw,  "of  at 
least  one  man  of  spirit  and  honour." 

"Gentlemen,"  said  Ravens  wood,  "permit  me  once  more  to 
assure  you  that  you  have  been  pleased  to  attach  to  our  tempo- 
rary connexion  more  importance  than  I  ever  meant  that  it 
should  have.  When  I  repair  to  foreign  courts,  I  shall  not 
need  the  introduction  of  an  intriguing  adventurer,  nor  is  it 
necessary  for  me  to  set  value  on  the  friendship  of  a  hot-headed 
bully."  With  these  words,  and  without  waiting  for  an  answer, 
he  left  the  apartment,  remounted  his  horse,  and  was  heard  to 
ride  off. 

"Mortbleu!"  said  Captain  Craigengelt,  "my  recruit  is 
lost!" 

"Ay,  Captain,"  said  Bucklaw,  "the  salmon  is  off  with  hook 
and  all.  But  I  will  after  him,  for  I  have  had  more  of  his  in- 
solence than  I  can  well  digest." 

Craigengelt  offered  to  accompany  him;    but  Bucklaw  re- 


84  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

plied :  "  No,  no,  Captain,  keep  you  the  cheek  of  the  chimney 
nook  till  I  come  back;  it's  good  sleeping  in  a  haill  skin. 

Little  kens  the  auld  wife  that  sits  by  the  fire, 
How  cauld  the  wind  blaws  in  hurle-burle  swire." 

And  singing  as  he  went,  he  left  the  apartment. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


Now,  Billy  Bewick,  keep  good  heart, 

And  of  thy  talking  let  me  be  ; 
But  if  thou  art  a  man,  as  I  am  sure  thou  art, 

Come  over  the  dike  and  fight  with  me. 

Old  Ballad. 

The  Master  of  Ravens  wood  had  mounted  the  ambling  hack- 
ney which  he  before  rode,  on  finding  the  accident  which  had 
happened  to  his  led  horse,  and,  for  the  animal's  ease,  was 
proceeding  at  a  slow  pace  from  the  Tod's  Den  towards  his  old 
tower  of  Wolf's  Crag,  ^  when  he  heard  the  galloping  of  a  horse 
behind  him,  and,  looking  back,  perceived  that  he  was  pursued 
by  young  Bucklaw,  who  had  been  delayed  a  few  minutes  in 
the  pursuit  by  the  irresistible  temptation  of  giving  the  hostler 
at  the  Tod's  Den  some  recipe  for  treating  the  lame  horse. 
This  brief  delay  lie  had  made  up  by  hard  galloping,  and  now 
overtook  the  Master  where  the  road  traversed  a  waste  moor. 
'^Halt,  sir,"  cried  Bucklaw;  "I  am  no  political  agent — no 
Captain  Craigengelt,  whose  life  is  too  important  to  be  haz- 
arded in  defence  of  his  honour.  I  am  Frank  Hayston  of 
Bucklaw,  and  no  man  injures  me  by  word,  deed,  sign,  or 
look,  but  he  must  render  me  an  account  of  it." 

"This  is  all  very  well,  Mr.  Hayston  of  Bucklaw,"  replied 
the  Master  of  Ravenswood,  in  a  tone  the  most  calm  and  in- 
different; "  but  I  have  no  quarrel  with  you,  and  desire  to  have 
none.  Our  roads  homeward,  as  well  as  our  roads  through 
life,  lie  in  different  directions;  there  is  no  occasion  for  us 
crossing  each  other." 

See  Introduction  to  Chronicles  of  the  Canongate  {Laing). 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  85 

"Is  there  not?"  said  Bucklaw,  impetuously.  "By  Heaven! 
but  I  say  that  there  is,  though :  you  called  us  intriguing  ad- 
venturers." 

"Be  correct  in  3- our  recollection,  Mr.  Hayston;  it  was  to 
your  companion  only  I  applied  that  epithet,  and  you  know 
him  to  be  no  better." 

"And  what  then?  He  was  my  companion  for  the  time,  and 
no  man  shall  insult  my  companion,  right  or  wrong,  while  he 
is  in  my  company." 

"Then,  Mr.  Hayston,"  replied  Ravenswood,  with  the  same 
composure,  "you  should  choose  your  society  better,  or  you 
are  like  to  have  much  work  in  your  capacity  of  their  cham- 
pion. Go  home,  sir;  sleep,  and  have  more  reason  in  your 
wrath  to-morrow." 

"  Not  so,  Master,  you  have  mistaken  your  man ;  high  airs 
and  wise  saws  shall  not  carry  it  off  thus.  Besides,  you  termed 
me  bully,  and  you  shall  retract  the  word  before  we  part." 

"  Faith,  scarcely, "  said  Ravenswood,  "  unless  you  show  me 
better  reason  for  thinking  myself  mistaken  than  you  are  now 
producing." 

"Then,  Master,"  said  Bucklaw,  "though  I  should  be  sorry 
to  offer  it  to  a  man  of  your  quality,  if  you  will  not  justify  your 
incivility,  or  retract  it,  or  name  a  place  of  meeting,  you  must 
here  undergo  the  hard  word  and  the  hard  blow." 

"Neither  will  be  necessary,"  said  Ravenswood;  "I  am  sat- 
isfied with  what  I  have  done  to  avoid  an  affair  with  you.  If 
you  are  serious,  this  place  will  serve  as  well  as  another." 

"Dismoimt  then,  and  draw,"  said  Bucklaw,  setting  him  an 
example.  "  I  always  thought  and  said  you  were  a  pretty  man ; 
I  should  be  sorry  to  report  you  otherwise." 

"  You  shall  have  no  reason,  sir, "  said  Ravenswood,  alight- 
ing, and  putting  himself  into  a  posture  of  defence. 

Their  swords  crossed,  and  the  combat  commenced  with  great 
spirit  on  the  part  of  Bucklaw,  who  was  well  accustomed  to 
affairs  of  the  kind,  and  distinguished  by  address  and  dexter- 
ity at  his  weapon.  In  the  present  case,  however,  he  did  not 
use  his  skill  to  advantage ;  for,  having  lost  temper  at  the  cool 
and  contemptuous  manner  in  which  the  Master  of  Ravenswood 


86  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

had  long  refused,  and  at  length,  granted,  him  satisfaction,  and 
urged  by  his  impatience,  he  adopted  the  part  of  an  assailant 
with  inconsiderate  eagerness.  The  Master,  with  equal  skill, 
and  much  greater  composure,  remained  chiefly  on  the  defen- 
sive, and  even  declined  to  avail  himself  of  one  or  two  advan- 
tages afforded  him  by  the  eagerness  of  his  adversary.  At 
length,  in  a  desperate  lunge,  which  he  followed  with  an  at- 
tempt to  close,  Bucklaw's  foot  slipped,  and  he  fell  on  the 
short  grassy  turf  on  which  they  were  fighting.  "  Take  your 
life,  sir, "  said  the  Master  of  Eavenswood,  "  and  mend  it  if 
you  can." 

"It  would  be  but  a  cobbled  piece  of  work,  I  fear,"  said 
Bucklaw,  rising  slowly  and  gathering  up  his  sword,  much  less 
disconcerted  with  the  issue  of  the  combat  than  could  have  been 
expected  from  the  impetuosity  of  his  temper.  "  I  thank  you 
for  my  life.  Master, "  he  pursued.  "  There  is  my  hand ;  I 
bear  no  ill-will  to  you,  either  for  my  bad  luck  or  your  better 
swordmanship." 

The  Master  looked  steadily  at  him  for  an  instant,  then  ex- 
tended his  hand  to  him.  "Bucklaw,"  he  said,  "you  are  a 
generous  fellow,  and  I  have  done  you  wrong.  I  heartily  ask 
your  pardon  for  the  expression  which  offended  you;  it  was 
hastily  and  incautiously  uttered,  and  I  am  convinced  it  is 
totally  misapplied." 

"Are  you  indeed,  Master?"  said  Bucklaw,  his  face  resum- 
ing at  once  its  natural  expression  of  light-hearted  carelessness 
and  audacity ;  "  that  is  more  than  I  expected  of  you ;  for.  Mas- 
ter, men  say  you  are  not  ready  to  retract  your  opinions  and 
your  language." 

"  Not  when  I  have  well  considered  them, "  said  the  Master. 

"  Then  you  are  a  little  wiser  than  I  am,  for  I  always  give 
my  friend  satisfaction  first,  and  explanation  afterwards.  If 
one  of  us  falls,  all  accounts  are  settled ;  if  not,  men  are  never 
so  ready  for  peace  as  after  war.  But  what  does  that  bawling 
bratof  aboy  want?"  said  Bucklaw.  "  I  wish  to  Heaven  he  had 
come  a  few  minutes  sooner !  and  j^et  it  must  have  been  ended 
some  time,  and  perhaps  this  way  is  as  well  as  any  other." 

As  he  spoke,  the  boy  he  mentioned  came  up,  cudgelling  an 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  87 

ass,  on  which  he  was  mounted,  to  the  top  of  its  speed,  and 
sending,  like  one  of  Ossian's  heroes,  his  voice  before  him: 
"  Gentlemen — gentlemen,  save  yourselves !  for  the  gudewif e 
bade  us  tell  ye  there  were  folk  in  her  house  had  taen  Captain 
Craigengelt,  and  were  seeking  for  Bucklaw,  and  that  ye  be- 
hoved to  ride  for  it. " 

"By  my  faith,  and  that's  very  true,  my  man,"  said  Buck- 
law;  "and  there's  a  silver  sixpence  for  your  news,  and  I 
would  give  any  man  twice  as  much  would  tell  me  which  way 
I  should  ride." 

"  That  will  I,  Bucklaw, "  said  Ravenswood ;  "  ride  home 
to  Wolf's  Crag  with  me.  There  are  places  in  the  old  tower 
where  you  might  lie  hid,  were  a  thousand  men  to  seek  you." 

"But  that  will  bring  you  into  trouble  yourself.  Master; 
and  unless  you  be  in  the  Jacobite  scrape  already,  it  is  quite 
needless  for  me  to  drag  you  in." 

"  Not  a  whit ;  I  have  nothing  to  fear. " 

"  Then  I  will  ride  with  you  blythely,  for,  to  say  the  truth, 
I  do  not  know  the  rendezvous  that  Craigie  was  to  guide  us 
to  this  night;  and  I  am  sure  that,  if  he  is  taken,  he  will 
tell  all  the  truth  of  me,  and  twenty  lies  of  you,  in  order  to 
save  himself  from  the  withie. " 

They  mounted  and  rode  off  in  company  accordingly,  strik- 
ing off  the  ordinary  road,  and  holding  their  way  by  wild 
moorish  unfrequented  paths,  with  which  the  gentlemen  were 
well  acquainted  from  the  exercise  of  the  chase,  but  through 
which  others  would  have  had  much  difficulty  in  tracing  their 
course.  They  rode  for  some  time  m  silence,  making  such 
haste  as  the  condition  of  Ravenswood' s  horse  permitted,  until 
night  having  gradually  closed  around  them,  they  discontinued 
their  speed,  both  from  the  difficulty  of  discoveringHheir  path, 
and  from  the  hope  that  they  were  beyond  the  reach  of  pursuit 
or  observation. 

"  And  now  that  we  have  drawn  bridle  a  bit, "  said  Bucklaw, 
"  I  would  fain  ask  you  a  question,  Master. " 

"Ask  and  welcome,"  said  Ravenswood,  "but  forgive  my 
not  answering  it,  unless  I  think  proper." 

"Well,  it  is   simply  this,"   answered  his  late  antagonist: 


88  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

"What,  in  the  name  of  old  Sathan,  could  make  you,  who 
stand  so  highly  on  your  reputation,  think  for  a  moment  of 
drawing  up  with  such  a  rogue  as  Craigengelt,  and  such  a 
scapegrace  as  folk  call  Bucklaw?" 

"  Simply,  because  I  was  desperate,  and  sought  desperate 
associates." 

"And  what  made  you  break  off  from  us  at  the  nearest?" 
again  demanded  Bucklaw. 

"  Because  I  had  changed  my  mind, "  said  the  Master,  "  and 
renounced  my  enterprise,  at  least  for  the  present.  And  now 
that  I  have  answered  your  questions  fairly  and  frankly,  tell 
me  what  makes  you  associate  with  Craigengelt,  so  much  be- 
neath you  both  in  birth  and  in  spirit?" 

"In  plain  terms,"  answered  Bucklaw,  "because  I  am  a 
fool,  who  have  gambled  away  my  land  m  these  times.  My 
grand-aunt.  Lady  Girnington,  has  taen  a  new  tack  of  life,  I 
think,  and  I  could  only  hope  to  get  something  by  a  change  of 
government.  Craigie  was  a  sort  of  gambling  acquaintance; 
he  saw  my  condition,  and,  as  the  devil  is  always  at  one's  el- 
bow, told  me  fifty  lies  about  his  credentials  from  Versailles, 
and  his  interest  at  Saint  Germains,  promised  me  a  captain's 
commission  at  Paris,  and  I  have  been  ass  enough  to  put  my 
thumb  under  his  belt.  I  dare  say,  by  this  time,  he  has  told  a 
dozen  pretty  stories  of  me  to  the  government.  And  this  is 
what  I  have  got  ly  wine,  women,  and  dice,  cocks,  dogs,  and 
horses." 

"  Yes,  Bucklaw, "  said  the  Master,  "  you  have  indeed  nour- 
ished in  your  bosom  the  snakes  that  are  now  stinging  you." 

"That's  home  as  well  as  true.  Master,"  replied  his  compan- 
ion ;  "  but,  by  your  leave,  you  have  nursed  in  your  bosom  one 
great  goodly  snake  that  has  swallowed  all  the  rest,  and  is  as 
sure  to  devour  you  as  my  half-dozen  are  to  make  a  meal  on  all 
that's  left  of  Bucklaw,  which  is  but  what  lies  between  bonnet 
and  boot-heel." 

"I  must  not,"  answered  the  Master  of  Eavenswood,  "chal- 
lenge the  freedom  of  speech  in  which  I  have  set  example. 
What,  to  speak  without  a  metaphor,  do  you  call  this  mon- 
strous passion  which  you  charge  me  with  fostering?" 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  89 

"Revenge,  my  good  sir — revenge;  which,  if  it  be  as  gentle- 
manlike a  sin  as  wine  and  wassail,  with  their  et  ccEteras,  is 
equally  unchristian,  and  not  so  bloodless.  It  is  better  break- 
ing a  park-pale  to  watch  a  doe  or  damsel  than  to  shoot  an 
old  man. " 

"  I  deny  the  purpose, "  said  the  Master  of  Ravenswood.  "  On 
my  soul,  I  had  no  such  intention ;  I  meant  but  to  confront  the 
oppressor  ere  I  left  my  native  land,  and  upbraid  him  with  his 
tyranny  and  its  consequences.  I  would  have  stated  my  wrongs 
so  that  they  would  have  shaken  his  soul  within  him." 

"  Yes, "  answered  Bucklaw,  "  and  he  would  have  collared 
you,  and  cried  '  help,  ^  and  then  you  would  have  shaken  the 
soul  out  of  him,  I  suppose.  Your  very  look  and  manner 
would  have  frightened  the  old  man  to  death." 

''Consider  the  provocation,"  answered  Ravenswood — "con- 
sider the  ruin  and  death  procured  and  caused  by  his  hard- 
hearted cruelty — an  ancient  house  destroyed,  an  affectionate 
father  murdered!  Why,  in  our  old  Scottish  days,  he  that 
sat  quiet  under  such  wrongs  would  have  been  held  neither  fit 
to  back  a  friend  nor  face  a  foe. " 

"  Well,  Master,  I  am  glad  to  see  that  the  devil  deals  as  cmi- 
ningly  with  other  folk  as  he  deals  with  me ;  for  whenever  I 
am  about  to  commit  any  folly,  he  persuades  me  it  is  the  most 
necessary,  gallant,  gentlemanlike  thing  on  earth,  and  I  am  up 
to  saddlegirths  in  the  bog  before  I  see  that  the  ground  is  soft. 
And  you.  Master,  might  have  turned  out  a  murd a  homi- 
cide, just  out  of  pure  respect  for  your  father's  memory." 

"There  is  more  sense  in  your  language,  Bucklaw,"  replied 
the  Master,  "  than  might  have  been  expected  from  your  con- 
duct. It  is  too  true,  our  vices  steal  upon  us  in  forms  out- 
wardly as  fair  as  those  of  the  demons  whom  the  superstitious 
represent  as  intriguing  with  the  human  race,  and  are  not  dis- 
covered in  their  native  hideousness  until  we  have  clasped  them 
in  our  arms." 

"  But  we  may  throw  them  from  us,  though, "  said  Bucklaw, 
"  and  that  is  what  I  shall  think  of  doing  one  of  these  days — 
that  is,  Avhen  old  Lady  Girnington  dies." 

"  Did  you  ever  hear  the  expression  of  the  English  divine?" 


90  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

said  Eavenswood — '"Hell  is  paved  with  good  intentions/ — 
as  much  as  to  say,  they  are  more  often  formed  than  executed. " 

"  Well, "  replied  Bucklaw,  "  but  I  will  begin  this  blessed 
night,  and  have  determined  not  to  drink  above  one  quart  of 
wine,  unless  your  claret  be  of  extraordinary  quality." 

"You  will  find  little  to  tempt  you  at  Wolf's  Crag,"  said  the 
Master.  "  I  know  not  that  I  can  promise  you  more  than  the 
shelter  of  my  roof;  all,  and  more  than  all,  our  stock  of  wine 
and  provisions  was  exhausted  at  the  late  occasion." 

"  Long  may  it  be  ere  provision  is  needed  for  the  like  pur- 
pose, "  answered  Bucklaw ;  "  but  you  should  not  drink  up  the 
last  flask  at  a  dirge ;  there  is  ill  luck  in  that. " 

"  There  is  ill  luck,  I  think,  in  whatever  belongs  to  me, "  said 
Ravens  wood.  "  But  yonder  is  Wolf's  Crag,  and  whatever  it 
still  contains  is  at  your  service." 

The  roar  of  the  sea  had  long  announced  their  approach  to 
the  cliffs,  on  the  summit  of  which,  like  the  nest  of  some  sea- 
eagle,  the  founder  of  the  fortalice  had  perched  his  eyrie. 
The  pale  moon,  which  had  hitherto  been  contending  with  flit- 
ting clouds,  now  shone  out,  and  gave  them  a  view  of  the  solitary 
and  naked  tower,  situated  on  a  projecting  cliff  that  beetled  on 
the  German  Ocean.  On  three  sides  the  rock  was  precipitous; 
on  the  fourth,  which  was  that  towards  the  land,  it  had  been 
originally  fenced  by  an  artificial  ditch  and  drawbridge,  but 
the  latter  was  broken  down  and  ruinous,  and  the  former  had 
been  in  part  filled  up,  so  as  to  allow  passage  for  a  horseman 
into  the  narrow  courtyard,  encircled  on  two  sides  with  low 
offices  and  stables,  partly  ruinous,  and  closed  on  the  landward 
front  by  a  low  embattled  wall,  while  the  remaining  side  of  the 
quadrangle  was  occupied  by  the  tower  itself,  which,  tall  and 
narrow,  and  built  of  a  greyish  stone,  stood  glimmering  in  the 
moonlight,  like  the  sheeted  spectre  of  some  huge  giant.  A 
wilder  or  more  disconsolate  dwelling  it  was  perhaps  difficult 
to  conceive.  The  sombrous  and  heavy  sound  of  the  billows, 
successively  dashing  against  the  rocky  beach  at  a  profound 
distance  beneath,  was  to  the  ear  what  the  landscape  was  to 
the  eye — a  symbol  of  unvaried  and  monotonous  melancholy, 
not  unmingled  with  horror. 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  91 

Although  the  night  was  not  far  advanced,  there  was  no  sign 
of  living  inhabitant  about  this  forlorn  abode,  excepting  that 
one,  and  only  one,  of  the  narrow  and  stanchelled  windows 
which  appeared  at  irregular  heights  and  distances  in  the  walls 
of  the  building  showed  a  small  glimmer  of  light. 

"  There, "  said  Ravenswood,  "  sits  the  only  male  domestic 
that  remains  to  the  house  of  Ravenswood;  and  it  is  well  that 
he  does  remain  there,  since  otherwise  we  had  little  hope  to 
find  either  light  or  fire.  But  follow  me  cautiously ;  the  road 
is  narrow,  and  admits  only  one  horse  in  front." 

In  effect,  the  path  led  along  a  kind  of  isthmus,  at  the  pe- 
ninsular extremity  of  which  the  tower  was  situated,  with  that 
exclusive  attention  to  strength  and  security,  in  preference  to 
every  circumstances  of  convenience,  which  dictated  to  the 
Scottish  barons  the  choice  of  their  situations,  as  well  as  their 
style  of  building. 

By  adopting  the  cautious  mode  of  approach  recommended  by 
the  proprietor  of  this  wild  hold,  they  entered  the  courtyard  in 
safety.  But  it  was  long  ere  the  efforts  of  Ravenswood,  though 
loudly  exerted  by  knocking  at  the  low-browed  entrance,  and  re- 
peated shouts  to  Caleb  to  open  the  gate  and  admit  them,  re- 
ceived any  answer. 

"  The  old  man  must  be  departed, "  he  began  to  say,  "  or 
fallen  into  some  fit;  for  the  noise  I  have  made  would  have 
waked  the  seven  sleepers," 

At  length  a  timid  and  hesitating  voice  replied :  "  Master — 
Master  of  Ravenswood,  is  it  you?" 

"Yes,  it  is  I,  Caleb;  open  the  door  quickly." 

"But  it  is  you  in  very  blood  and  body?  For  I  would 
sooner  face  fifty  deevils  as  my  master's  ghaist,  or  even  his 
wraith ;  wherefore,  aroint  ye,  if  ye  were  ten  times  my  master, 
unless  ye  come  in  bodily  shape,  lith  and  limb." 

"  It  is  I,  you  old  fool, "  answered  Ravenswood,  "  in  bodily 
shape  and  alive,  save  that  I  am  half  dead  with  cold." 

The  light  at  the  upper  window  disappeared,  and  glancing 
from  loophole  to  loophole  in  slow  succession,  gave  intimation 
that  the  bearer  was  in  the  act  of  descending,  with  great  de- 
liberation, a  winding  staircase  occupying  one  of  the  turrets 


92  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

which  graced  the  angles  of  the  old  tower.  The  tardmess  of 
his  descent  extracted  some  exclamations  of  impatience  from 
Ravenswood,  and  several  oaths  from  his  less  patient  and  more 
mercurial  companion.  Caleb  again  paused  ere  he  unbolted  the 
door,  and  once  more  asked  if  they  were  men  of  mould  that  de- 
manded entrance  at  this  time  of  night. 

"Were  I  near  you,  you  old  fool,"  said  Bucklaw,  "I  would 
give  you  sufficient  proofs  of  my  bodily  condition." 

"Open  the  gate,  Caleb,"  said  his  master,  in  a  more  sooth- 
ing tone,  partly  from  his  regard  to  the  ancient  and  faithful 
seneschal,  partly  perhaps  because  he  thought  that  angry  words 
would  be  thrown  away,  so  long  as  Caleb  had  a  stout  iron- 
clenched  oaken  door  betwixt  his  person  and  the  speakers. 

At  length  Caleb,  with  a  trembling  hand,  undid  the  bars, 
opened  the  heavy  door,  and  stood  before  them,  exhibiting  his 
thin  grey  hairs,  bald  forehead,  and  sharp  high  features,  illu- 
minated by  a  quivering  lamp  which  he  held  in  one  hand,  while 
he  shaded  and  protected  its  flame  with  the  other.  The  tim- 
orous, courteous  glance  which  he  threw  around  him,  the  effect 
of  the  partial  light  upon  his  white  hair  and  illumined  features, 
might  have  made  a  good  painting;  but  our  travellers  were  too 
impatient  for  security  against  the  rising  storm  to  permit  them 
to  indulge  themselves  in  studying  the  picturesque.  "  Is  it  you, 
my  dear  master? — is  it  you  yourself,  indeed?"  exclaimed  the 
old  domestic.  "  I  am  wae  ye  suld  hae  stude  waiting  at  your 
ain  gate ;  but  wha  wad  hae  thought  o'  seeing  ye  sae  sune,  and 

a  strange  gentleman  with  a (Here  he  exclaimed  apart, 

as  it  were,  and  to  some  inmate  of  the  tower,  in  a  voice  not 
meant  to  be  heard  by  those  in  the  court)  Mysie — Mysie,  wom- 
an! stir  for  dear  life,  and  get  the  fire  mended;  take  the  auld 
three-legged  stool,  or  ony  thing  that's  readiest  that  will  make 
a  lowe.  I  doubt  we  are  but  puirly  provided,  no  expecting  ye 
this  some  months,  when  doubtless  ye  wad  hae  been  received 
conform  till  your  rank,  as  gude  right  is ;  but  natheless " 

"Natheless,  Caleb,"  said  the  Master,  "we  must  have  our 
horses  put  up,  and  ourselves  too,  the  best  way  we  can.  I 
hope  you  are  not  sorry  to  see  me  sooner  than  you  ex- 
pected?" 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  93 

"Sony,  my  lord!  I  am  sure  ye  sail  aye  be  my  lord  wi' 
honest  folk,  as  your  noble  ancestors  hae  been  these  three  hun- 
dred years,  and  never  asked  a  Whig's  leave.  Sorry  to  see  the 
Lord  of  Ravenswood  at  ane  o'  his  ain  castles !  (Then  again 
apart  to  his  unseen  associate  behind  the  screen)  Mysie,  kill 
the  brood-hen  without  thinking  twice  on  it;  let  them  care 
that  come  ahint.  No  to  say  it's  our  best  dwelling, "  he  added, 
turning  to  Bucklaw;  "but  just  a  strength  for  the  Lord  of 
Ravenswood  to  flee  until — that  is,  no  to  flee,  but  to  retreat 
until  in  troublous  times,  like  the  present,  when  it  was  ill  con- 
venient for  him  to  live  farther  in  the  country  in  ony  of  his  bet- 
ter and  mair  principal  manors ;  but,  for  its  antiquity,  maist 
folk  think  that  the  outside  of  Wolf's  Crag  is  worthy  of  a  large 
perusal. " 

"And  you  are  determined  we  shall  have  time  to  make  it," 
said  Eavenswood,  somewhat  amused  with  the  shifts  the  old 
man  used  to  detain  them  without  doors  until  his  confederate 
Mysie  had  made  her  preparations  within. 

"  Oh,  never  mind  the  outside  of  the  house,  my  good  friend, " 
said  Bucklaw;  "let's  see  the  inside,  and  let  our  horses  seethe 
stable,  that's  all." 

"  Oh  yes,  sir — ay,  sir — unquestionably,  sir — my  lord  and 
ony  of  his  honourable  companions " 

"  But  our  horses,  my  old  friend — our  horses ;  they  will  be 
dead-founded  by  standing  here  in  the  cold  after  riding  hard, 
and  mine  is  too  good  to  be  spoiled;  therefore,  once  more,  our 
horses!"  exclaimed  Bucklaw. 

"  True — ay — your  horses — yes — I  will  call  the  grooms" ; 
and  sturdily  did  Caleb  roar  till  the  old  tower  rang  again: 
"John — William — Saunders!  The  lads  are  gane  out,  or 
sleeping, "  he  observed,  after  pausing  for  an  answer,  which  he 
knew  that  he  had  no  human  chance  of  receiving.  "  A'  gaes 
wrang  when  the  Master's  out-bye;  but  I'll  take  care  o'  your 
cattle  my  sell." 

"  I  think  you  had  better, "  said  Ravenswood,  "  otherwise  I 
see  little  chance  of  their  being  attended  to  at  all." 

"Whisht,  my  lord — whisht,  for  God's  sake,"  said  Caleb,  in 
an  imploring  tone,  and  apart  to  his  master;  "if  ye  dinna  re- 


94  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

gard  your  ain  credit,  think  on  mine;  we'll  hae  hard  eneugh 
wark  to  make  a  decent  night  o't,  wi'  a'  the  lees  I  can  tell." 

"Well,  well,  never  mind,"  said  his  master;  "go  to  the 
stable.     There  is  hay  and  corn,  I  trust?" 

"  Ou  ay,  plenty  of  hay  and  corn" ;  this  was  uttered  boldly 
and  aloud,  and,  in  a  lower  tone,  "  there  was  some  half  fous 
o'  aits,  and  some  taits  o'  meadow-hay,  left  after  the  burial." 

"Very  well,"  said  Eavenswood,  taking  the  lamp  from  his 
domestic's  unwilling  hand,  "I  will  show  the  stranger  up- 
stairs myself." 

"I  canna  think  o'  that,  my  lord;  if  ye  wad  but  have  five 
minutes,  or  ten  minutes,  or,  at  maist,  a  quarter  of  an  hour's 
patience,  and  look  at  the  fine  moonlight  prospect  of  the  Bass 
and  Korth  Berwick  Law  till  I  sort  the  horses,  I  would  marshal 
ye  up,  as  reason  is  ye  suld  be  marshalled,  your  lordship  and 
your  honourable  visitor.  And  I  hae  lockit  up  the  siller  can- 
dlesticks, and  the  lamp  is  not  fit " 

"  It  will  do  very  well  in  the  mean  time, "  said  Ravenswood, 
"  and  you  will  have  no  difficulty  for  want  of  light  in  the  stable, 
for,  if  I  recollect,  half  the  roof  is  off." 

"  Very  true,  my  lord, "  replied  the  trusty  adherent,  and  with 
ready  wit  instantly  added,  "  and  the  lazy  sclater  loons  have 
never  come  to  put  it  on  a'  this  while,  your  lordship. " 

"  If  I  were  disposed  to  jest  at  the  calamities  of  my  house," 
said  Ravenswood,  as  he  led  the  way  upstairs,  "  poor  old  Caleb 
would  furnish  me  with  ample  means.  His  passion  consists  in 
representing  things  about  our  miserable  menage,  not  as  they 
are,  but  as,  in  his  opinion,  they  ought  to  be ;  and,  to  say  the 
truth,  I  have  been  often  diverted  with  the  poor  wretch's  ex- 
pedients to  supply  what  he  though  was  essential  for  the  credit 
of  the  family,  and  his  still  more  generous  apologies  for  the 
want  of  those  articles  for  which  his  ingenuity  could  discover 
no  substitute.  But  though  the  tower  is  none  of  the  largest, 
I  shall  have  some  trouble  without  him  to  find  the  apartment 
in  which  there  is  a  fire. " 

As  he  spoke  thus,  he  opened  the  door  of  the  hall.  "  Here, 
at  least, "  he  said,  "  there  is  neither  hearth  nor  harbour. " 

It  was  indeed  a  scene  of  desolation.     A  large  vaulted  room, 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  95 

the  beams  of  which,  combmed  like  those  of  Westminster  Hall, 
were  rudely  carved  at  the  extremities,  remained  nearly  in  the 
situation  in  which  it  had  been  left  after  the  entertainment  at 
Allan  Lord  Ravenswood's  funeral.  Overturned  pitchers,  and 
black-jacks,  and  pewter  stoups,  and  flagons  still  cumbered  the 
large  oaken  table ;  glasses,  those  more  perishable  implements 
of  conviviality,  many  of  which  had  been  voluntarily  sacrificed 
by  the  guests  in  their  enthusiastic  pledges  to  favourite  toasts, 
strewed  the  stone  floor  with  their  fragments.  As  for  the  arti- 
cles of  plate,  lent  for  the  purpose  by  friends  and  kinsfolk, 
those  had  been  carefully  withdrawn  so  soon  as  the  ostentatious 
display  of  festivity,  equally  unnecessary  and  strangely  timed, 
had  been  made  and  ended.  ISTothing,  in  short,  remained  that 
indicated  wealth ;  all  the  signs  were  those  of  recent  wasteful- 
ness and  present  desolation.  The  black  cloth  hangings,  which, 
on  the  late  mournful  occasion,  replaced  the  tattered  moth- 
eaten  tapestries,  had  been  partly  pulled  down,  and,  dangling 
from  the  wall  in  irregular  festoons,  disclosed  the  rough  stone- 
work of  the  building,  unsmoothed  either  by  plaster  or  the 
chisel.  The  seats  thrown  down,  or  left  in  disorder,  intimated 
the  careless  confusion  which  had  concluded  the  mournful  revel. 
"  This  room, "  said  Ravenswood,  holding  up  the  lamp — "  this 
room,  Mr.  Hayston,  was  riotous  when  it  should  have  been  sad; 
it  is  a  just  retribution  that  it  should  now  be  sad  when  it  ought 
to  be  cheerful." 

They  left  this  disconsolate  apartment,  and  went  upstairs, 
where,  after  opening  one  or  two  doors  in  vain,  Ravenswood 
led  the  way  into  a  little  matted  ante-room,  in  which,  to  their 
great  joy,  they  found  a  tolerably  good  fire,  which  Mysie,  by 
some  such  expedient  as  Caleb  had  suggested,  had  supplied 
with  a  reasonable  quantity  of  fuel.  Glad  at  the  heart  to  see 
more  of  comfort  than  the  castle  had  yet  seemed  to  otfer.  Buck- 
law  rubbed  his  hands  heartily  over  the  fire,  and  now  listened 
with  more  complacency  to  the  apologies  which  the  Master  of 
Ravenswood  offered.  "Comfort,"  he  said,  "I  cannot  provide 
for  you,  for  I  have  it  not  for  myself;  it  is  long  since  these 
walls  have  known  it,  if,  indeed,  they  were  ever  acquainted 
with  it.     Shelter  and  safety,  I  think,  I  can  promise  you." 


96  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

"  Excellent  matters,  Master, "  replied  Bucklaw,  "  and,  with 
a  mouthful  of  food  and  wine,  positively  all  I  can  require  to- 
night." 

*'  I  fear,"  said  the  Master,  "  your  supper  will  be  a  poor  one; 
I  hear  the  matter  in  discussion  betwixt  Caleb  and  Mysie.  Poor 
Balderstone  is  something  deaf,  amongst  his  other  accomplish- 
ments, so  that  much  of  what  he  means  should  be  spoken  aside 
is  overheard  by  the  whole  audience,  and  especially  by  those 
from  whom  he  is  most  anxious  to  conceal  his  private  manoeu- 
vres.    Hark!" 

They  listened,  and  heard  the  old  domestic's  voice  in  conver- 
sation with  Mysie  to  the  f ollowiug  effect : 

''Just  mak  the  best  o't — mak  the  best  o't,  woman;  it's 
easy  to  put  a  fair  face  on  ony  thing." 

"  But  the  auld  brood-hen?  She'll  be  as  teugh  as  bow-strings 
and  bend-leather!" 

"  Say  ye  made  a  mistake — say  ye  made  a  mistake,  Mysie," 
replied  the  faithful  seneschal,  in  a  soothing  and  undertoned 
voice;  "tak  it  a'  on  yoursell;  never  let  the  credit  o'  the  house 
suffer. " 

''But  the  brood-hen,"  remonstrated  Mysie — "ou,  she's  sit- 
ting some  gate  aneath  the  dais  in  the  hall,  and  I  am  feared  to 
gae  in  in  the  dark  for  the  bogle ;  and  if  I  didna  see  the  bogle,  I 
could  as  ill  see  the  hen,  for  it's  pit-mirk,  and  there's  no 
another  light  in  the  house,  save  that  very  blessed  lamp  whilk 
the  Master  has  in  his  ain  hand.  And  if  I  had  the  hen,  she's 
to  pu',  and  to  draw,  and  to  dress;  how  can  I  do  that,  and 
them  sitting  by  the  only  fire  we  have?" 

"  Weel,  weel,  Mysie, "  said  the  butler,  "  bide  ye  there  a 
wee,  and  I'll  try  to  get  the  lamp  wiled  away  frae  them." 

Accordingly,  Caleb  Balderstone  entered  the  apartment,  little 
aware  that  so  much  of  his  by-play  had  been  audible  there. 
"  Well,  Caleb,  my  old  friend,  is  there  any  chance  of  supper?" 
said  the  Master  of  Kavenswood. 

"  Chance  of  supper,  your  lordship?"  said  Caleb,  with  an 
emphasis  of  strong  scorn  at  the  implied  doubt.  "  How  should 
there  be  ony  question  of  that,  and  us  in  your  lordship's  house? 
Chance  of  supper,  indeed!     But  ye'll  no  be  for  butcher-meat? 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  97 

There's  walth  o'  fat  poultry,  ready  either  for  spit  or  brander. 
The  fat  capon,  Mysie!"  he  added,  calling  out  as  boldly  as  if 
such  a  thing  had  been  in  existence. 

"Quite  unnecessary,"  said  Bucklaw,  who  deemed  himself 
bound  in  courtesy  to  relieve  some  part  of  the  anxious  butler's 
perplexity,  "  if  you  have  anything  cold,  or  a  morsel  of  bread." 

"The  best  of  bannocks!"  exclaimed  Caleb,  much  relieved; 
"and,  for  cauld  meat,  a'  that  we  hae  is  cauld  eneugh, — how- 
beit,  maist  of  the  cauld  meat  and  pastry  was  gien  to  the  poor 
folk  after  the  ceremony  of  interment,  as  gude  reason  was; 
nevertheless " 

"  Come,  Caleb, "  said  the  Master  of  Ravenswood,  "  I  must 
cut  this  matter  short.  This  is  the  young  Laird  of  Bucklaw ; 
he  is  under  hiding,  and  therefore,  you  know " 

"He'll  be  nae  nicer  than  your  lordship's  honour,  I'se  war- 
rant," answered  Caleb,  cheerfully,  with  a  nod  of  intelligence; 
"  I  am  sorry  that  the  gentleman  is  under  distress,  but  I  am 
blythe  that  he  canna  say  muckle  agane  our  housekeeping,  for 
I  believe  his  ain  pinches  may  match  ours ;  no  that  we  are 
pinched,  thank  God,"  he  added,  retracting  the  admission 
which  he  had  made  in  his  first  burst  of  joy,  "  but  nae  doubt 
we  are  waur  aff  than  we  hae  been,  or  suld  be.  And  for  eat- 
ing— what  signifies  telling  a  lee?  there's  just  the  hinder  end 
of  the  mutton-ham  that  has  been  but  three  times  on  the  table, 
and  the  nearer  the  bane  the  sweeter,  as  your  honours  weel  ken ; 
and — there's  the  heel  of  the  ewe-milk  kebbuck,  wi'  a  bit  of 
nice  butter,  and— and- — that's  a'  that's  to  trust  to."  And 
with  great  alacrity  he  produced  his  slender  stock  of  provi- 
sions, and  placed  them  with  much  formality  upon  a  small 
round  table  betwixt  the  two  gentlemen,  who  were  not  deterred 
either  by  the  homely  quality  or  limited  quantity  of  the  repast 
from  doing  it  full  justice.  Caleb  in  the  mean  while  waited 
on  them  with  grave  officiousness,  as  if  anxious  to  make  up, 
by  his  own  respectful  assiduity,  for  the  want  of  all  other  at- 
tendance. 

But,  alas !  how  little  on  such  occasions  can  form,  however 
anxiously  and  scrupulously  observed,  supply  the  lack  of  sub- 
stantial fare!  Bucklaw,  who  had  eagerly  eaten  a  consider- 
7 


98  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

able  portion  of  the  thrice-sacked  mutton-ham,  now  began  to  de- 
mand ale. 

"I  wadna  just  presume  to  reconimend  our  ale,"  said  Caleb; 
"the  maut  was  ill  made,  and  there  was  awfu'  thunner  last 
week;  but  siccan  water  as  the  Tower  well  has  ye'll  seldom 
see,  Bucklaw,  and  that  I'se  engage  for." 

"But  if  your  ale  is  bad,  you  can  let  us  have  some  wine," 
said  Bucklaw,  making  a  grimace  at  the  mention  of  the  pure 
element  which  Caleb  so  earnestly  recommended. 

"Wine!"  answered  Caleb,  undauntedly,  "eneugh  of  wine! 
It  was  but  twa  days  syne — wae's  me  for  the  cause — there  was 
as  much  wine  drunk  in  this  house  as  would  have  floated  a 
pinnace.     There  never  was  lack  of  wine  at  Wolf's  Crag." 

"  Do  fetch  us  some  then, "  said  the  master,  "  instead  of  talk- 
ing about  it."     And  Caleb  boldly  departed. 

Every  expended  butt  in  the  old  cellar  did  he  set  a-tilt,  and 
shake  with  the  desperate  expectation  of  collecting  enough  of 
the  grounds  of  claret  to  fill  the  large  pewter  measure  which 
he  carried  in  his  hand.  Alas !  each  had  been  too  devoutly 
drained;  and,  with  all  the  squeezing  and  manoeuvring  which 
his  craft  as  a  butler  suggested,  he  could  only  collect  about 
half  a  quart  that  seemed  presentable.  Still,  however,  Caleb 
was  too  good  a  general  to  renounce  the  field  without  a  strata- 
gem to  cover  his  retreat.  He  undauntedly  threw  down  an 
empty  flagon,  as  if  he  had  stumbled  at  the  entrance  of  the 
apartment,  called  upon  Mysie  to  wipe  up  the  wine  that  had 
never  been  spilt,  and  placing  the  other  vessel  on  the  table, 
hoped  there  was  still  enough  left  for  their  honours.  There 
was  indeed ;  for  even  Bucklaw,  a  sworn  friend  to  the  grape, 
found  no  encouragement  to  renew  his  first  attack  upon  the 
vintage  of  Wolf's  Crag,  but  contented  himself,  however  re- 
luctantly, with  a  draught  of  fair  water.  Arrangements  were 
now  made  for  his  repose ;  and  as  the  secret  chamber  was  as- 
signed for  this  purpose,  it  furnished  Caleb  with  a  first-rate 
and  most  plausible  apology  for  all  deficiencies  of  furniture, 
bedding,  etc. 

"  For  wha, "  said  he,  "  would  have  thought  of  the  secret 
chaumer  being  needed?     It  has  not  been  used  since  the  time 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  99 

of  the  Gowrie  Conspiracy,  and  I  durst  never  let  a  woman  ken 
of  the  entrance  to  it,  or  your  honour  will  allow  that  it  wad 
not  hae  been  a  secret  chaumer  lang." 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

The  hearth  in  hall  was  black  and  dead, 
No  board  was  dight  in  bower  within, 
Nor  merry  bowl  nor  welcome  bed  ; 
"  Here's  sorry  cheer,"  quoth  the  Heir  of  Linne. 

Old  Ballad. 

The  feelings  of  the  prodigal  Heir  of  Linne,  as  expressed 
in  that  excellent  old  song,  when,  after  dissipating  his  whole 
fortune,  he  found  himself  the  deserted  inhabitant  of  "the 
lonely  lodge,"  might  perhaps  have  some  resemblance  to  those 
of  the  Master  of  Ravenswood  in  his  deserted  mansion  of 
Wolf's  Crag.  The  Master,  however,  had  this  advantage  over 
the  spendthrift  in  the  legend,  that,  if  he  was  in  similar  dis- 
tress, he  could  not  impute  it  to  his  own  imprudence.  His 
misery  had  been  bequeathed  to  him  by  his  father,  and,  joined 
to  his  high  blood,  and  to  a  title  which  the  courteous  might  give 
or  the  churlish  withhold  at  their  pleasure,  it  was  the  whole 
inheritance  he  had  derived  from  his  ancestry. 

Perhaps  this  melancholy  yet  consolatory  reflection  crossed 
the  mind  of  the  unfortunate  young  nobleman  with  a  breathing 
of  comfort.  Favourable  to  calm  reflection,  as  well  as  to  the 
Muses,  the  morning,  while  it  dispelled  the  shades  of  night, 
had  a  composing  and  sedative  effect  upon  the  stormy  passions 
by  which  the  Master  of  Ravenswood  had  been  agitated  on  the 
preceding  day.  He  now  felt  himself  able  to  analyse  the  dif- 
ferent feelings  by  which  he  was  agitated,  and  much  resolved 
to  combat  and  to  subdue  them.  The  morning,  which  had 
arisen  calm  and  bright,  gave  a  pleasant  effect  even  to  the  waste 
moorland  view  which  was  seen  from  the  castle  on  looking  to 
the  landward ;  and  the  glorious  ocean,  crisped  with  a  thousand 
rippling  waves  of  silver,  extended  on  the  other  side,  in  awful 
yet  complacent  majesty,  to  the  verge  of  the  horizon.     With 


100  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

such  scenes  of  calm  sublimity  the  human  heart  sympathises 
even  in  its  most  disturbed  moods,  and  deeds  of  honour  and 
virtue  are  inspired  by  their  majestic  influence. 

To  seek  out  Bucklaw  in  the  retreat  which  he  had  afforded 
him,  was  the  first  occupation  of  the  Master,  after  he  had  per- 
formed, with  a  scrutiny  unusually  severe,  the  important  task 
of  self-examination.  "How  now,  Bucklaw?"  was  his  morn- 
ing's salutation — "how  like  you  the  couch  in  which  the  exiled 
Earl  of  Angus  once  slept  in  security,  when  he  was  pursued  by 
the  full  energy  of  a  king's  resentment?" 

"  Umph  !"  returned  the  sleeper  awakened;  "  I  have  little  to 
complain  of  where  so  great  a  man  was  quartered  before  me, 
only  the  mattress  was  of  the  hardest,  the  vault  somewhat 
damp,  the  rats  rather  more  mutinous  than  I  would  have  ex- 
pected from  the  state  of  Caleb's  larder;  and  if  there  had  been 
shutters  to  that  grated  window,  or  a  curtain  to  the  bed,  I 
should  think  it,  upon  the  whole,  an  improvement  in  your 
accommodations. " 

"  It  is,  to  be  sure,  forlorn  enough, "  said  the  Master,  looking 
around  the  small  vault ;  "  but  if  you  will  rise  and  leave  it,  Ca- 
leb will  endeavour  to  find  you  a  better  breakfast  than  your 
supper  of  last  night." 

"  Pray,  let  it  be  no  better, "  said  Bucklaw,  getting  up,  and 
endeavouring  to  dress  himseK  as  well  as  the  obscurity  of  the 
place  would  permit — •"  let  it,  I  say,  be  no  better,  if  you  mean 
me  to  preserve  in  my  proposed  reformation.  The  very  recol- 
lection of  Caleb's  beverage  has  done  more  to  suppress  my 
longing  to  open  the  day  with  a  morning  draught  than  twenty 
sermons  would  have  done.  And  you,  Master,  have  you  been 
able  to  give  battle  valiantly  to  your  bosom-snake?  You  see  I 
am  in  the  way  of  smothering  my  vipers  one  by  one." 

"I  have  commenced  the  battle,  at  least,  Bucklaw,  and  I 
have  had  a  fair  vision  of  an  angel  who  descended  to  my  assis- 
tance, "  replied  the  Master. 

"Woe's  me!"  said  his  guest,  "no  vision  can  I  expect,  unless 
my  aunt.  Lady  Grinington,  should  betake  herself  to  the  tomb ; 
and  then  it  would  be  the  substance  of  her  heritage  rather  than 
the  appearance  of  her  phantom  that  I  should  consider  as  the 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  101 

support  of  my  good  resolutions.  But  this  same  breakfast, 
Master — does  the  deer  that  is  to  make  the  pasty  run  yet  on 
foot,  as  the  ballad  has  it?" 

"  I  will  inquire  into  that  matter, "  said  his  entertainer ;  and, 
leaving  the  apartment,  he  went  in  search  of  Caleb,  whom,  after 
some  diiiiculty,  he  found  in  an  obscure  sort  of  dungeon,  which 
had  been  in  former  times  the  buttery  of  the  castle.  Here  the 
old  man  was  employed  busily  in  the  doubtful  task  of  burnish- 
ing a  pewter  flagon  until  it  should  take  the  hue  and  semblance 
of  silver-plate.  "  I  think  it  may  do — I  think  it  might  pass, 
if  they  winna  bring  it  ower  muckle  in  the  light  o'  the  win- 
dow!" were  the  ejaculations  which  he  muttered  from  time  to 
time,  as  if  to  encourage  himself  in  his  undertaking,  when  he 
was  interrupted  by  the  voice  of  his  master. 

"  Take  this, "  said  the  Master  of  Ravenswood,  "  and  get 
what  is  necessary  for  the  family."  And  with  these  words  he 
gave  to  the  old  butler  the  purse  which  had  on  the  preceding 
evening  so  narrowly  escaped  the  fangs  of  Craigengelt. 

The  old  man  shook  his  silvery  and  thin  locks,  and  looked 
with  an  expression  of  the  most  heartfelt  anguish  at  his  master 
as  he  weighed  in  his  hand  the  slender  treasure,  and  said  in  a 
sorrowful  voice,  "And  is  this  a'  that's  left?" 

"  All  that  is  left  at  present,"  said  the  Master,  affecting  more 
cheerfulness  than  perhaps  he  really  felt,  "  is  just  the  green  purse 
and  the  wee  pickle  gowd,  as  the  old  song  says ;  but  we  shall  do 
better  one  day,  Caleb." 

"  Before  that  day  comes, "  said  Caleb,  "  I  doubt  there  will  be 
an  end  of  an  auld  sang,  and  an  auld  serving-man  to  boot.  But 
it  disna  become  me  to  speak  that  gate  to  your  honour,  and  you 
looking  sae  pale.  Tak  back  the  purse,  and  keep  it  to  be  mak- 
ing a  show  before  company ;  for  if  your  honour  would  just  tak 
a  bidding,  and  be  whiles  taking  it  out  afore  folk  and  putting 
it  up  again,  there's  naebody  would  refuse  us  trust,  for  a' 
that's  come  and  gane  yet." 

"But,  Caleb,"  said  the  Master,  "I  still  intend  to  leave  this 
country  very  soon,  and  desire  to  do  so  with  the  reputation  of 
an  honest  man,  leaving  no  debt  behind  me,  at  least  of  my 
own  contracting." 


102  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

"  And  glide  right  ye  suld  gang  away  as  a  true  man,  and  so 
ye  shall;  for  auld  Caleb  can  tak  the  wyte  of  whatever  is  taen 
on  for  the  house,  and  then  it  will  be  a'  just  ae  man's  burden; 
and  I  will  live  just  as  weel  in  the  tolbooth  as  out  of  it,  and 
the  credit  of  the  family  will  be  a'  safe  and  sound." 

The  Master  endeavoured,  in  vain,  to  make  Caleb  compre- 
hend that  the  butler's  incurring  the  responsibility  of  debts  in 
his  own  person  would  rather  add  to  than  remove  the  objections 
which  he  had  to  their  being  contracted.  He  spoke  to  a  ])re- 
mier  too  busy  in  devising  ways  and  means  to  puzzle  himself 
with  refuting  the  arguments  offered  against  their  justice  or 
expediency. 

"  There's  Eppie  Sma'trash  will  trust  us  for  ale,"  said  Caleb 
to  himself — "  she  has  lived  a'  her  life  under  the  family — and 
maybe  wi'  a  soup  brandy ;  I  canna  say  for  wine — she  is  but  a 
lone  woman,  and  gets  her  claret  by  a  runlet  at  a  time ;  but  I'll 
work  a  wee  drap  out  o'  her  by  fair  means  or  foul.  For  doos, 
there's  the  doocot;  there  will  be  poultry  amang  the  tenants, 
though  Luckie  Chirnside  says  she  has  paid  the  kain  twice  ower. 
We'll  mak  shift,  an  it  like  your  honour — we'll  mak  shift;  keep 
your  heart  abune,  for  the  house  sail  hand  its  credit  as  lang 
as  auld  Caleb  is  to  the  fore." 

The  entertainment  which  the  old  man's  exertions  of  various 
kinds  enabled  him  to  present  to  the  young  gentlemen  for  three 
or  four  days  was  certainly  of  no  splendid  description,  but  it 
may  readily  be  believed  it  was  set  before  no  critical  guests ; 
and  even  the  distresses,  excuses,  evasions,  and  shifts  of  Caleb 
afforded  amusement  to  the  young  men,  and  added  a  sort  of 
interest  to  the  scrambling  and  irregular  style  of  their  table. 
They  had  indeed  occasion  to  seize  on  every  circumstance  that 
might  serve  to  diversify  or  enliven  time,  which  otherwise 
passed  away  so  heavily. 

Bucklaw,  shut  out  from  his  usual  field-sports  and  joyous 
carouses  by  the  necessity  of  remainmg  concealed  within  the 
walls  of  the  castle,  became  a  joyless  and  uninteresting  com- 
panion. When  the  Master  of  Ravenswood  would  no  longer 
fence  or  play  at  shovel-board;  when  he  himself  had  polished 
to  the  extremity  the  coat  of  his  palfrey  with  brush,  curry- 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  103 

comb,  and  hair-cloth;  when  he  had  seen  him  eat  his  pro- 
vender, and  gently  lie  down  in  his  stall,  he  could  hardly  help 
envying  the  animal's  apparent  acquiescence  in  a  life  so  mon- 
otonous. "The  stupid  brute,"  he  said,  "thinks  neither  of 
the  race-ground  or  the  hunting-field,  or  his  green  paddock  at 
Bucklaw,  but  enjoys  himself  as  comfortably  when  haltered  to 
the  rack  in  this  ruinous  vault,  as  if  he  had  been  foaled  in  it ; 
"  and,  I  who  have  the  freedom  of  a  prisoner  at  large,  to  range 
through  the  dungeons  of  this-  wretched  old  tower,  can  hardly, 
betwixt  whistling  and  sleeping,  contrive  to  pass  away  the  hour 
till  dinner-time." 

And  with  this  disconsolate  reflection,  he  wended  his  way  to 
the  bartizan  or  battlements  of  the  tower,  to  watch  what  objects 
might  appear  on  the  distant  moor,  or  to  pelt,  with  pebbles  and 
pieces  of  lime,  the  sea-mews  and  cormorants  which  established 
themselves  incautiously  within  the  reach  of  an  idle  young 
man. 

Ravenswood,  with  a  mind  incalculably  deeper  and  more 
powerful  than  that  of  his  companion,  had  his  own  anxious 
subjects  of  reflection,  which  wrought  for  him  the  same  un- 
happiness  that  sheer  ennui  and  want  of  occupation  inflicted 
on  his  companion.  The  first  sight  of  Lucy  Ashton  had  been 
less  impressive  than  her  image  proved  to  be  upon  reflection. 
As  the  depth  and  violence  of  that  revengeful  passion  by  which 
he  had  been  actuated  in  seeking  an  interview  with  ;:he  father 
began  to  abate  by  degrees,  he  looked  back  on  his  conduct 
towards  the  daughter  as  harsh  and  unworthy  towards  a  female 
of  rank  and  beauty.  Her  looks  of  grateful  acknowledgment, 
her  words  of  affectionate  courtesy,  had  been  repelled  with 
something  which  approached  to  disdain ;  and  if  the  Master 
of  Ravenswood  had  sustained  wrongs  at  the  hand  of  Sir  Wil- 
liam Ashton,  his  conscience  told  him  they  had  been  unhand- 
somely resented  towards  his  daughter.  When  his  thoughts 
took  this  turn  of  self-reproach,  the  recollection  of  Lucy  Ash- 
ton's  beautiful  features,  rendered  yet  more  interesting  by  the 
circumstances  in  which  their  meeting  had  taken  place,  made 
an  impression  upon  his  mind  at  once  soothing  and  painful. 
The  sweetness  of  her  voice,  the  delicacy  of  her  expressions, 


104  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

the  vivid  glow  of  her  filial  affection,  embittered  his  regret  at 
having  repulsed  her  gratitude  with  rudeness,  while,  at  the 
same  time,  they  placed  before  his  imagination  a  picture  of  the 
most  seducing  sweetness. 

Even  young  Eavenswood's  strength  of  moral  feeling  and 
rectitude  of  purpose  at  once  increased  the  danger  of  cherish- 
ing these  recollections,  and  the  propensity  to  entertain  them. 
Firmly  resolved  as  he  was  to  subdue,  if  possible,  the  predomi- 
nating vice  in  his  character,  he  admitted  with  willingness — 
nay,  he  summoned  up  in  his  imagination — the  ideas  by  which 
it  could  be  most  powerfully  counteracted ;  and,  while  he  did 
so,  a  sense  of  his  own  harsh  conduct  towards  the  daughter  of 
his  enemy  naturally  induced  him,  as  if  by  way  of  recompense, 
to  invest  her  with  more  of  grace  and  beauty  than  perhaps  she 
could  actually  claim. 

Had  any  one  at  this  period  told  the  Master  of  Eavenswood 
that  he  had  so  lately  vowed  vengeance  against  the  whole  line- 
age of  him  whom  he  considered,  not  unjustly,  as  author  of  his 
father's  ruin  and  death,  he  might  at  first  have  repelled  the 
charge  as  a  foul  calumny ;  yet,  upon  serious  self-examination, 
he  would  have  been  compelled  to  admit  that  it  had,  at  one 
period,  some  foundation  in  truth,  though,  according  to  the 
present  tone  of  his  sentiments,  it  was  difficult  to  believe  that 
this  had  really  been  the  case. 

There  already  existed  in  his  bosom  two  contradictory  pas- 
sions— a  desire  to  revenge  the  death  of  his  father,  strangely 
qualified  by  admiration  of  his  enemy's  daughter.  Against 
the  former  feeling  he  had  struggled,  until  it  seemed  to  him 
upon  the  wane;  against  the  latter  he  used  no  means  of  resis- 
tance, for  he  did  not  suspect  its  existence.  That  this  was 
actually  the  case  was  chiefly  evinced  by  his  resuming  his  reso- 
lution to  leave  Scotland.  Yet,  though  such  was  his  purpose, 
he  remained  day  after  day  at  Wolf's  Crag,  without  taking 
measures  for  carrying  it  into  execution.  It  is  true,  that  he 
had  written  to  one  or  two  kinsmen  who  resided  in  a  distant 
quarter    of    Scotland,    and  particularly   to   the    Marquis   of 

A ,  intimating  his  purpose ;  and  when  pressed  upon  the 

subject  by  Bucklaw,  he  was  wont  to  allege  the  necessity  of 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  105 

waiting  for  their  reply,  especially  that  of  the  Marquis,  before 
takmg  so  decisive  a  measure. 

The  Marquis  was  rich  and  powerful;  and  although  he  was 
suspected  to  entertain  sentiments  unfavourable  to  the  govern- 
ment established  at  the  Revolution,  he  had  nevertheless  ad- 
dress enough  to  head  a  party  in  the  Scottish  privy  council, 
connected  with  the  High  Church  faction  in  England,  and 
powerful  enough  to  menace  those  to  whom  the  Lord  Keeper 
adhered  with  a  probable  subversion  of  their  power.  The  con- 
sulting with  a  personage  of  such  importance  was  a  plausible 
excuse,  which  Ravens  wood  used  to  Bucklaw,  and  probably  to 
himself,  for  continuing  his  residence  at  Wolf's  Crag;  and  it 
was  rendered  yet  more  so  by  a  general  report  which  began  to 
be  current  of  a  probable  change  of  ministers  and  measures  in 
the  Scottish  administration.  The  rumours,  strongly  asserted 
by  some,  and  as  resolutely  denied  by  others,  as  their  wishes 
or  interest  dictated,  found  their  way  even  to  the  ruinous 
Tower  of  Wolf's  Crag,  chiefly  through  the  medium  of  Caleb, 
the  butler,  who,  among  his  other  excellences,  was  an  ardent 
politician,  and  seldom  made  an  excursion  from  the  old  for- 
tress to  the  neighbouring  village  of  Wolf's  Hope  without 
bringing  back  what  tidings  were  current  in  the  vicinity. 

But  if  Bucklaw  could  not  offer  any  satisfactory  objections 
to  the  delay  of  the  Master  in  leaving  Scotland,  he  did  not  the 
less  suffer  vrith  impatience  the  state  of  inaction  to  which  it 
confined  him ;  and  it  was  only  the  ascendency  which  his  new 
companion  had  acquired  over  him  that  induced  him  to  submit 
to  a  course  of  life  so  alien  to  his  habits  and  inclinations. 

"  You  were  wont  to  be  thought  a  stirring  active  young  fellow. 
Master,"  was  his  frequent  remonstrance;  "yet  here  you  seem 
determined  to  live  on  and  on  like  a  rat  in  a  hole,  with  this 
trifling  difference,  that  the  wiser  vermin  chooses  a  hermitage 
where  he  can  find  food  at  least;  but  as  for  us,  Caleb's  excuses 
become  longer  as  his  diet  turns  more  spare,  and  I  fear  we 
shall  realise  the  stories  they  tell  of  the  sloth :  we  have  almost 
eat  up  the  last  green  leaf  on  the  plant,  and  have  nothing  left 
for  it  but  to  drop  from  the  tree  and  break  our  necks." 

"  Do  not  fear  it, "  said  Ravenswood ;  "  there  is  a  fate  watches 


106  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

for  us,  and  we  too  have  a  stake  in  the  revolution  that  is  now  im- 
pending, and  which  already  has  alarmed  many  a  bosom." 

"What  fate — what  revolution?"  inquired  his  companion. 
"  We  have  had  one  revolution  too  much  already,  I  think. " 

Ravenswood  interrupted  him  by  putting  into  his  hands  a 
letter. 

"Oh,"  answered  Bucklaw,  "my  dream's  out.  I  thought  I 
heard  Caleb  this  morning  pressing  some  unfortunate  fellow  to 
a  drink  of  cold  water,  and  assuring  him  it  was  better  for  his 
stomach  in  the  morning  than  ale  or  brandy." 

"It  was  my  Lord  of  A — — 's  courier,"  said  Ravenswood, 
"  who  was  doomed  to  experience  his  ostentatious  hospitality, 
which  I  believe  ended  in  sour  beer  and  herrings.  Read,  and 
you  will  see  the  news  he  has  brought  us." 

"  I  will  as  fast  as  I  can,"  said  Bucklaw;  "  but  I  am  no  great 
clerk,  nor  does  his  lordship  seem  to  be  the  first  of  scribes." 

The  reader  will  peruse  in,  a  few  seconds,  by  the  aid  our 
friend  Ballantyne's  ^  types,  what  took  Bucklaw  a  good  half 
hour  in  perusal,  though  assisted  by  the  Master  of  Ravenswood. 
The  tenor  was  as  follows : 

"Right  Honourable  our  Cousin: 

"Our  hearty  commendations  premised,  these  come  to  as- 
sure you  of  the  interest  which  we  take  in  your  welfare,  and  in 
your  purposes  towards  its  augmentation.  If  we  have  been  less 
active  in  showing  forth  our  effective  good-will  towards  you 
than,  as  a  loving  kinsman  and  blood-relative,  we  would  will- 
ingly have  desired,  we  request  that  you  will  impute  it  to  lack 
of  opportunity  to  show  our  good-liking,  not  to  any  coldness  of 
our  wilj  -  Touching  your  resolution  to  travel  in  foreign  parts, 
as  at  this  time  we  hold  the  same  little  advisable,  in  respect 
that  your  ill-willers  may,  according  to  the  custom  of  such  per- 
sons, impute  motives  for  jonv  journey,  whereof,  although  we 
know  and  believe  you  to  be  as  clear  as  ourselves,  yet  natheless 
their  words  may  find  credence  in  iDlaces  where  the  belief  in 
them  may  much  prejudice  you,  and  which  we  should  see  with 
more  unwillingness  and  displeasure  than  with  means  of  remedy. 
'  See  The  Ballantynes.    Note  3. 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOK.  107 

"  Having  thus,  as  becometh  our  kindred,  given  you  our  poor 
mind  on  the  subject  of  your  journeying  forth  of  Scotland,  we 
would  willingly  add  reasons  of  weight,  which  might  materially 
advantage  you  and  your  father's  house,  thereby  to  determine 
you  to  abide  at  Wolf's  Crag,  until  this  harvest  season  shall  be 
passed  over.  But  what  sayeth  the  proverb,  verbiim  sapienti — 
a  word  is  more  to  him  that  hath  wisdom  than  a  sermon  to  a 
fool.  And  albeit  we  have  written  this  poor  scroll  with  our 
own  hand,  and  are  well  assured  of  the  fidelity  of  our  messen- 
ger, as  him  that  is  many  ways  bounden  to  us,  yet  so  it  is,  that 
sliddery  ways  crave  wary  walking,  and  that  we  may  not  peril 
upon  paper  matters  which  we  would  gladly  impart  to  you  by 
word  of  mouth.  Wherefore,  it  was  our  purpose  to  have  prayed 
you  heartily  to  come  to  this  our  barren  Highland  country  to 
kill  a  stag,  and  to  treat  of  the  matters  which  we  are  now  more 
painfully  inditing  to  you  anent.  But  commodity  does  not  serve 
at  present  for  such  our  meeting,  which,  therefore,  shall  be  de- 
ferred until  sic  time  as  we  may  in  all  mirth  rehearse  those 
things  whereof  we  now  keep  silence.  Meantime,  we  pray  you 
to  think  that  we  are,  and  will  still  be,  your  good  kinsman  and 
well-wisher,  waiting  but  for  times  of  whilk  we  do,  as  it  were, 
entertain  a  twilight  prospect,  and  appear  and  hope  to  be  also 
your  effectual  well-doer.  And  in  which  hope  we  heartily 
write  ourself, 

"  Right  Honourable, 

"  Your  loving  cousin, 

"A . 

"  Given  from  our  poor  house  of  B , "  etc. 

Superscribed — "  For  the  right  honourable,  and  our  honoured 
kinsman,  the  INIaster  of  Ravenswood — These,  with  haste,  haste, 
post  haste — ride  and  run  until  these  be  delivered." 

"What  think  you  of  this  epistle,  Bucklaw?"  said  the  Mas- 
ter, when  his  companion  had  hammered  out  all  the  sense,  and 
almost  all  the  words  of  which  it  consisted. 

''  Truly,  that  the  Marquis's  meaning  is  as  great  a  riddle  as 
his  manuscript.     He  is  really  in  much  need  of    Wtfs  Inter- 


108  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

preter,  or  the  Complete  Letter-  Writei',  and  were  I  you,  I  would 
send  him  a  copy  by  the  bearer.  He  writes  you  very  kindly  to 
remain  wasting  your  time  and  your  money  in  this  vile,  stupid, 
oppressed  country,  without  so  much  as  offering  you  the  counte- 
nance and  shelter  of  his  house.  In  my  opinion,  he  has  some 
scheme  in  view  in  which  he  supposes  you  can  be  useful,  and  he 
wishes  to  keep  you  at  hand,  to  make  use  of  you  when  it  ripens, 
reserving  the  power  of  turning  you  adrift,  should  his  plot  fail 
in  the  concoction." 

"  His  plot !  Then  you  suppose  it  is  a  treasonable  business, " 
aswered  Eavenswood. 

"What  else  can  it  be?"  replied  Bucklaw;  "the  Marquis 
has  been  long  suspected  to  have  an  eye  to  Saint  G-ermains." 

"  He  should  not  engage  me  rashly  in  such  an  adventure, " 
said  Kavenswood ;  "  when  I  recollect  the  times  of  the  first  and 
second  Charles,  and  of  the  last  James,  trulj^  I  see  little  reason 
that,  as  a  man  or  a  patriot,  I  should  draw  my  sword  for  their 
descendants." 

"Humph!"  replied  Bucklaw;  "so  you  have  set  yourself 
down  to  mourn  over  the  crop-eared  dogs  whom  honest  Claver'se 
treated  as  they  deserved?" 

"  They  first  gave  the  dogs  an  ill  name,  and  then  hanged 
them,"  replied  Eavenswood.  "I  hope  to  see  the  day  when 
justice  shall  be  open  to  Whig  and  Tory,  and  when  these  nick- 
names shall  only  be  used  among  coffee-house  politicians,  as 
'slut'  and  'jade'  are  among  apple-women,  as  cant  terms  of 
idle  spite  and  rancour." 

"  That  will  not  be  in  our  days.  Master :  the  iron  has  entered 
too  deeply  into  our  sides  and  our  souls." 

"  It  will  be,  however,  one  day, "  replied  the  Master ;  "  men 
will  not  always  start  at  these  nicknames  as  at  a  trumpet- 
sound.  As  social  life  is  better  protected,  its  comforts  will  be- 
come too  dear  to  be  hazarded  without  some  better  reasons  than 
speculative  politics." 

"It  is  fine  talking,"  answered  Bucklaw;  "but  my  heart  is 
with  the  old  song — 

To  see  good  corn  upon  the  rigs, 

And  a  gallows  built  to  hang  the  Whigs, 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR,  100 

And  the  right  restored  where  the  right  should  be, 
Oh,  that  is  the  thing  that  would  waHton  me." 

"  You  may  sing  as  loudly  as  you  will,  cantahlt  vacuus ," 

answered  the  Master ;  "  but  I  believe  the  Marquis  is  too  wise, 
at  least  too  wary,  to  join  you  in  such  a  burden.  I  suspect  he 
alludes  to  a  revolution  in  the  Scottish  privy  council,  rather 
than  in  the  British  kingdoms." 

"Oh,  confusion  to  your  state  tricks!"  exclaimed  Buck- 
law — "  your  cold  calculating  manoeuvres,  which  old  gentlemen 
in  wrought  nightcaps  and  furred  gowns  execute  like  so  many 
games  at  chess,  and  displace  a  treasurer  or  lord  commissioner 
as  they  would  take  a  rook  or  a  pawn.  Tennis  for  my  sport, 
and  battle  for  my  earnest !  My  racket  and  my  sword  for  my 
plaything  and  bread-winner!  And  you,  Master,  so  deep  and 
considerate  as  you  would  seem,  you  have  that  within  you 
makes  the  blood  boil  faster  than  suits  your  present  humour  of 
moralising  on  political  truths.  You  are  one  of  those  wise  men 
who  see  everything  with  great  composure  till  their  blood  is 
up,  and  then — woe  to  any  one  who  should  put  them  in  mind 
of  their  own  prudential  maxims!" 

"'Perhaps,"  said  Ravenswood,  "you  read  me  more  rightly 
than  I  can  myself.  But  to  think  justly  will  certainly  go 
some  length  in  helping  me  to  act  so.  But  hark!  I  hear 
Caleb  tolling  the  dinner-bell." 

"  Which  he  always  does  with  the  more  sonorous  grace  in 
proportion  to  the  meagreness  of  the  cheer  which  he  has  pro- 
vided," said  Bucklaw;  "as  if  that  infernal  clang  and  jangle, 
which  will  one  day  bring  the  belfry  down  the  cliff,  could  con- 
vert a  starved  hen  into  a  fat  capon,  and  a  blade-bone  of  mutton 
into  a  haunch  of  venison." 

"  I  wish  we  may  be  so  well  off  as  your  worst  conjectures 
surmise,  Bucklaw,  from  the  extreme  solemnity  and  ceremony 
with  which  Caleb  seems  to  place  on  the  table  that  solitary 
covered  dish." 

"Uncover,  Caleb!  uncover,  for  Heaven's  sake!"  said  Buck- 
law;  "let  us  have  what  you  can  give  us  without  preface. 
Why,  it  stands  well  enough,  man,"  he  continued,  addressing 
impatiently  the  ancient  butler,  who,  without  reply,  kept  shift- 


110  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

ing  the  clish,  until  he  had  at  length  placed  it  with  mathemati- 
cal precision  in  the  very  midst  of  the  table. 

"  What  have  we  got  here,  Caleb?"  inquired  the  Master  in 
his  turn. 

"Ahem!  sir,  ye  suld  have  known  before;  but  his  honour 
the  Laird  of  Bucklaw  is  so  impatient,"  answered  Caleb,  still 
holding  the  dish  with  one  hand  and  the  cover  with  the  other, 
with  evident  reluctance  to  disclose  the  contents. 

"  But  what  is  it,  a  God's  name — not  a  pair  of  clean  spurs,  I 
hope,  in  the  Border  fashion  of  old  times?" 

"Ahem!  ahem!"  reiterated  Caleb,  "your  honour  is  pleased 
to  be  facetious ;  natheless,  I  might  presume  to  say  it  was  a 
convenient  fashion,  and  used,  as  I  have  heard,  in  an  honour- 
able and  thriving  family.  But  touching  your  present  dinner, 
I  judged  that  this  being  St.  Magdalen's  [Margaret's]  Eve, 
who  was  a  worthy  queen  of  Scotland  in  her  day,  your  honours 
might  judge  it  decorous,  if  not  altogether  to  fast,  yet  only  to 
sustain  nature  with  some  slight  refection,  as  ane  saulted  her- 
ring or  the  like."  And,  uncovering  the  dish,  he  displayed 
four  of  the  savoury  fishes  which  he  mentioned,  adding,  in  a 
subdued  tone,  "  that  they  were  no  just  common  herring  nei- 
ther, being  ever}^  ane  melters,  and  sauted  with  uncommon  care 
by  the  housekeeper  (poor  Mysie)  for  his  honour's  especial  use." 

"  Out  upon  all  apologies!"  said  the  Master,  "let  us  eat  the 
herrings,  since  there  is  nothing  better  to  be  had ;  but  I  begin 
to  think  with  you,  Bucklaw,  that  we  are  consuming  the  last 
green  leaf,  and  that,  in  spite  of  the  Marquis's  political  machi- 
nations, we  must  positively  shift  camp  for  want  of  forage, 
without  waiting  the  issue  of  them." 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  HI 


CHAPTER    IX. 

Ay,  and  when  huntsmen  wind  the  merry  horn, 

And  from  its  covert  starts  the  fearful  prey, 

Who,  warm'd  with  youth's  blood  in  his  swelling  veins, 

Would,  like  a  lifeless  clod,  outstretched  lie, 

Shut  out  from  all  the  fair  creation  offers  ? 

Ethwald,  Act  I.  Scene  1. 

Light  meals  procure  light  slumbers;  and  therefore  it  is 
not  surprising  that,  considering  the  fare  which  Caleb's  con- 
science, or  his  necessity,  assuming,  as  will  sometimes  happen, 
that  disguise,  had  assigned  to  the  guests  of  Wolf's  Crag,  their 
slumbers  should  have  been  short. 

In  the  morning  Bucklaw  rushed  into  his  host's  apartment 
with  a  loud  halloo,  which  might  have  awaked  the  dead. 

"  Up !  up !  in  the  name  of  Heaven !  The  hunters  are  out, 
the  only  piece  of  sport  I  have  seen  this  month ;  and  you  lie 
here.  Master,  on  a  bed  that  has  little  to  recommend  it,  except 
that  it  may  be  something  softer  than  the  stone  floor  of  your 
ancestor's  vault." 

"I  wish,"  said  Eavenswood,  raising  his  head  peevishly, 
"you  had  forborne  so  early  a  jest,  Mr.  Hayston;  it  is  really 
no  pleasure  to  lose  the  very  short  repose  which  I  had  just 
begun  to  enjoy,  after  a  night  spent  in  thoughts  upon  fortune 
far  harder  than  my  couch,  Bucklaw." 

"Pshaw,  pshaw!"  replied  his  guest;  "  get  up — get  up;  the 
hounds  are  abroad.  I  have  saddled  the  horses  myself,  for  old 
Caleb  was  calling  for  grooms  and  lackeys,  and  would  never 
have  proceeded  without  two  hours'  apology  for  the  absence  of 
men  that  were  a  hundred  miles  off.  Get  up.  Master;  I  say 
the  hounds  are  out — get  up,  I  say ;  the  hunt  is  up. "  And  off 
ran  Bucklaw. 

"  And  I  say, "  said  the  Master,  rising  slowly,  "  that  nothing 
can  concern  me  less.     Whose  hounds  come  so  near  to  us?" 

"The  Honourable  Lord  Bittlebrains's, "  answered  Caleb, 
who  had  followed  the  impatient  Laird  of  Bucklaw  into  his  mas- 
ter's bedroom,  "and  truly  I  ken  nae  title  they  have  to  be 


112  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

yowling  and  hiowling  within  the  freedoms  and  immunities  of 
your  lordship's  right  of  free  forestry." 

"  Nor  I,  Caleb, "  replied  Kavenswood,  "  excepting  that  they 
have  bought  both  the  lands  and  the  right  of  forestry,  and  may 
thmk  themselves  entitled  to  exercise  the  rights  they  have  paid 
their  money  for." 

"It  may  be  sae,  my  lord,"  replied  Caleb;  "but  it's  no  gen- 
tleman's deed  of  them  to  come  here  and  exercise  such-like 
right,  and  your  lordship  living  at  your  ain  castle  of  Wolf's 
Crag.  Lord  Bittlebrains  would  weel  to  remember  what  his 
folk  have  been." 

"  And  we  what  we  now  are, "  said  the  Master,  with  sup- 
pressed bitterness  of  feeling.  "But  reach  me  my  cloak, 
Caleb,  and  I  will  indulge  Bucklaw  with  a  sight  of  this  chase. 
It  is  selfish  to  sacrifice  my  guest's  pleasure  to  my  own." 

"  Sacrifice!"  echoed  Caleb,  in  a  tone  which  seemed  to  imply 
the  total  absurdity  of  his  master  making  the  least  concession 
in  deference  to  any  one — "  sacrifice,  indeed ! — but  I  crave  your 
honour's  pardon,  and  whilk  doublet  is  it  your  pleasure  to 
wear?'-' 

"Any  one  you  will,  Caleb;  my  wardrobe,  I  suppose,  is  not 
very  extensive." 

"Not  extensive!"  echoed  his  assistant;  "when  there  is  the 
grey  and  silver  that  your  lordship  bestowed  on  Hew  Hilde- 
brand,  your  outrider;  and  the  French  velvet  that  went  with 
my  lord  your  father — be  gracious  to  him! — my  lord  your  fa- 
ther's auld  wardrobe  to  the  puir  friends  of  the  family;  and 
the  drap-de- Berry " 

"Which  I  gave  to  you,  Caleb,  and  which,  I  suppose,  is  the 
only  dress  we  have  any  chance  to  come  at,  except  that  I  wore 
yesterday ;  pray,  hand  me  that,  and  say  no  more  about  it. " 

"  If  your  honour  has  a  fancy, "  replied  Caleb,  "  and  doubt- 
less it's  a  sad-coloured  suit,  and  you  are  in  mourning;  never- 
theless, I  have  never  tried  on  the  draiJ-de-Berry — ill  wad  it 
become  me — and  your  honour  having  no  change  of  claiths  at 
this  present — and  it's  weel  brushed,  and  as  there  are  leddies 
down  yonder " 

"Ladies!"  said  Ravenswood;  "and  what  ladies,  pray?" 


The  Master  of  Ravenswood. 


Lammermoor,  Chap,  ix.,  p.  113. 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  113 

"What  do  I  ken,  your  lordship?  Looking  down  at  them 
from  the  Warden's  Tower,  I  could  but  see  them  glent  by  wi' 
their  bridles  ringing  and  their  feathers  fluttering,  like  the 
court  of  Elfland." 

"  Well,  well,  Caleb, "  replied  the  Master,  "  help  me  on  with 
my  cloak,  and  hand  me  my  sword-belt.  What  clatter  is  that 
in  the  courtyard?" 

"Just  Bucklaw  bringing  out  the  horses,"  said  Caleb,  after 
a  glance  through  the  window,  "  as  if  there  werena  men  eneugh 
in  the  castle,  or  as  if  I  couldna  serve  the  turn  of  ony  o'  them 
that  are  out  o'  the  gate." 

"  Alas !  Caleb,  we  should  want  little  if  your  ability  were 
equal  to  your  will,"  replied  his  master. 

"  And  I  hope  your  lordship  disna  want  that  muckle, "  said 
Caleb;  "for,  considering  a'  things,  I  trust  we  support  the 
credit  of  the  family  as  weel  as  things  will  permit  of,  — only 
Bucklaw  is  aye  sae  frank  and  sae  forward.  And  there  he  has 
brought  out  your  lordship's  palfrey,  without  the  saddle  being 
decored  wi'  the  broidered  sumpter-cloth !  and  I  could  have 
brushed  it  in  a  minute." 

"It  is  all  very  well,"  said  his  master,  escaping  from  him 
and  descending  the  narrow  and  steep  winding  staircase  which 
led  to  the  courtyard. 

"It  711(11/  ^®  ^'  ^^^T  weel,"  said  Caleb,  somewhat  peevishly; 
"  but  if  your  lordship  wad  tarry  a  bit,  I  will  tell  you  what 
will  not  be  very  weel." 

"And  what  is  that?"  said  Ravenswood,  impatiently,  but 
stopping  at  the  same  time. 

"  Why,  just  that  ye  suld  speer  ony  gentleman  hame  to  din- 
ner ;  for  I  canna  mak  anither  fast  on  a  feast  day,  as  when  I 
cam  ower  Bucklaw  wi'  Queen  Margaret;  and,  to  speak  truth, 
if  your  lordship  wad  but  please  to  cast  yoursell  in  the  way  of 
dining  wi'  Lord  Bittlebrains,  I'se  warrand  I  wad  cast  about 
brawly  for  the  morn;  or  if,  stead  o'  that,  ye  wad  but  dine 
wi'  them  at  the  change-house,  ye  might  mak  your  shift  for 
the  lawmg :  ye  might  say  ye  had  forgot  your  purse,  or  that 
the  carline  awed  ye  rent,  and  that  ye  wad  allow  it  in  the 
settlement. " 
8 


114  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

"  Or  any  other  lie  that  came  uppermost,  I  suppose?"  said 
Ms  master.  "  Good-bye,  Caleb ;  I  commend  your  care  for  the 
honour  of  the  family. "  And,  throwing  himself  on  his  horse,  he 
followed  Bucklaw,  who,  at  the  manifest  risk  of  his  neck,  had 
begun  to  gallop  down  the  steep  path  which  led  from  the  Tower 
as  soon  as  he  saw  Eavenswood  have  his  foot  in  the  stirrup. 

Caleb  Balderstone  looked  anxiously  after  them,  and  shook 
his  thin  grey  locks :  "  And  I  trust  they  will  come  to  no  evil ; 
but  they  have  reached  the  plain,  and  folk  cannot  say  but  that 
the  horse  are  hearty  and  in  spirits." 

Animated  by  the  natural  impetuosity  and  fire  of  his  temper, 
young  Bucklaw  rushed  on  with  the  careless  speed  of  a  whirl- 
wind. Eavenswood  w^as  scarce  more  moderate  in  his  pace,  for 
his  was  a  mind  unwillingly  roused  from  contemplative  inac- 
tivity, but  which,  when  once  put  into  motion,  acquired  a 
spirit  of  forcible  and  violent  progression.  Neither  was  his 
eagerness  proportioned  in  all  cases  to  the  motive  of  impulse, 
but  might  be  compared  to  the  speed  of  a  stone,  which  rushes 
with  like  fury  down  the  hill  whether  it  was  first  put  in  mo- 
tion by  the  arm  of  a  giant  or  the  hand  of  a  boy.  He  felt, 
therefore,  in  no  ordinary  degree,  the  headlong  impulse  of  the 
chase,  a  pastime  so  natural  to  youth  of  all  ranks,  that  it  seems 
rather  to  be  an  inherent  passion  in  our  animal  nature,  which 
levels  all  differences  of  rank  and  education,  than  an  acquired 
habit  of  rapid  exercise. 

The  repeated  bursts  of  the  French  horn,  which  was  then 
always  used  for  the  encouragement  and  direction  of  the  hounds ; 
the  deep,  though  distant  baying  of  the  pack ;  the  half -heard 
cries  of  the  huntsmen ;  the  half- seen  forms  which  were  dis- 
covered, now  emerging  from  glens  which  crossed  the  moor, 
now  sweeping  over  its  surface,  now  picking  their  way  where 
it  was  impeded  by  morasses ;  and,  above  all,  the  feeling  of 
his  own  rapid  motion,  animated  the  Master  of  Eavenswood, 
at  least  for  the  moment,  above  the  recollections  of  a  more 
painful  nature  by  which  he  Avas  surrounded.  The  first  thing 
which  recalled  him  to  those  unpleasing  circumstances  was 
feeling  that  his  horse,  notwithstanding  all  the  advantages 
which  he  received  from  his  rider's  knowledge  of  the  country, 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  115 

was  unable  to  keep  up  with  the  chase.  As  he  drew  his  bridle 
up  with  the  bitter  feeling  that  his  poverty  excluded  him  from 
the  favourite  recreation  of  his  forefathers,  and  indeed  their 
sole  employment  when  not  engaged  m  military  pursuits,  he 
was  accosted  by  a  well-mounted  stranger,  who,  unobserved, 
had  kept  near  him  during  the  earlier  part  of  his  career. 

"  Your  horse  is  blown, "  said  the  man,  with  a  complaisance 
seldom  used  in  a  hunting-field.  "  Might  I  crave  your  honour 
to  make  use  of  mine?" 

"Sir,"  said  Ravenswood,  more  surprised  than  pleased  at 
such  a  proposal.  "  I  really  do  not  know  how  I  have  merited 
such  a  favour  at  a  stranger's  hands." 

"Never  ask  a  question  about  it,  Master,"  said  Bucklaw, 
who,  with  great  unwillingness,  had  hitherto  reined  in  his  own 
gallant  steed,  not  to  outride  his  host  and  entertainer.  "  Take 
the  goods  the  gods  provide  you,  as  the  great  John  Dryden 
says  5  or  stay — here,  my  friend,  lend  me  that  horse ;  I  see  you 
have  been  puzzled  to  rein  him  up  this  half-hour.  I'll  take 
the  devil  out  of  him  for  you.  Now,  Master,  do  you  ride  mine, 
which  will  carry  you  like  an  eagle." 

And  throwing  the  rein  of  his  own  horse  to  the  Master  of 
Ravenswood,  he  sprung  upon  that  which  the  stranger  resigned 
to  him,  and  continued  his  career  at  full  speed. 

"  Was  ever  so  thoughtless  a  being!"  said  the  Master;  "and 
you,  my  friend,  how  could  you  trust  him  with  your  horse?" 

"The  horse,"  said  the  man,  "belongs  to  a  person  who  will 
make  your  honour,  or  any  of  your  honourable  friends,  most 
welcome  to  him,  flesh  and  fell." 

"And  the  owner's  name  is ?"  asked  Ravenswood. 

"  Your  honour  must  excuse  me,  you  will  learn  that  from 
himself.  If  you  please  to  take  your  friend's  horse,  and  leave 
me  your  galloway,  I  will  meet  you  after  the  fall  of  the  stag, 
for  I  hear  they  are  blowing  him  at  bay." 

"  I  believe,  my  friend,  it  will  be  the  best  way  to  recover 
your  good  horse  for  you, "  answered  Ravenswood ;  and  mount- 
ing the  nag  of  his  friend  Bucklaw,  he  made  all  the  haste  in 
his  power  to  the  spot  where  the  blast  of  the  horn  announced 
that  the  stag's  career  was  nearly  terminated. 


116  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

These  jovial  sounds  were  intermixed  with  the  huntsmen's 
shouts  of  "Hyke  a  Talbot!  Hyke  a  Teviot!  now,  boys, 
now!"  and  similar  cheering  halloos  of  the  olden  hunting- 
field,  to  which  the  impatient  yelling  of  the  hounds,  now  close 
on  the  object  of  their  pursuit,  gave  a  lively  and  unremitting 
chorus.  The  straggling  riders  began  now  to  rally  towards 
the  scene  of  action,  collecting  from  different  points  as  to  a 
common  centre. 

Bucklaw  kept  the  start  which  he  had  gotten,  and  arrived 
first  at  the  spot,  where  the  stag,  incapable  of  sustaining  a 
more  prolonged  flight,  had  turned  upon  the  hounds,  and,  in 
the  hunter's  phrase,  was  at  bay.  With  his  stately  head  bent 
down,  his  sides  white  with  foam,  his  eyes  strained  betwixt 
rage  and  terror,  the  hunted  animal  had  now  in  his  turn  be- 
come an  object  of  intimidation  to  his  pursuers.  The  hunters 
came  up  one  by  one,  and  watched  an  opportunity  to  assail 
him  with  some  advantage,  which,  in  such  circumstances,  can 
only  be  done  with  caution.  The  dogs  stood  aloof  and  bayed 
loudly,  intimating  at  once  eagerness  and  fear,  and  each  of  the 
sportsmen  seemed  to  expect  that  his  comrade  would  take  upon 
him  the  perilous  task  of  assaulting  and  disabling  the  animal. 
The  ground,  which  was  a  hollow  in  the  common  or  moor,  afford- 
ed little  advantage  for  approaching  the  stag  unobserved;  and 
general  was  the  shout  of  triumph  when  Bucklaw,  with  the 
dexterity  proper  to  an  accomplished  cavalier  of  the  day,  sprang 
from  his  horse,  and  dashing  suddenly  and  swiftly  at  the  stag, 
brought  him  to  the  ground  by  a  cut  on  the  hind  leg  with  his 
short  hunting-sword.  The  pack,  rushing  in  upon  their  dis- 
abled enemy,  soon  ended  his  painful  struggles,  and  solemnised 
his  fall  with  their  clamour ;  the  hunters,  with  their  horns  and 
voices,  whooping  and  blowing  a  mart,  or  death-note,  which 
resounded  far  over  the  billows  of  the  adjacent  ocean. 

The  huntsman  then  withdrew  the  hounds  from  the  throttled 
stag,  and  on  his  knee  presented  his  knife  to  a  fair  female 
form,  on  a  white  palfrey,  whose  terror,  or  perhaps  her  com- 
passion, had  till  then  kept  her  at  some  distance.  She  woje 
a  black  silk  riding-mask,  which  was  then  a  common  fashion, 
as  well  for  preserving  the  complexion  from  the  sun  and  rain, 


i;  I  mm 


Miss  Ashton  refuses  the  huntsman"*  knife. 


^ammernioor,  Chap.  ix..  p.  117. 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  117 

as  from  an  idea  of  decorum,  which  did  not  permit  a  lady  to 
appear  barefaced  while  engaged  in  a  boisterous  sport,  and 
attended  by  a  promiscuous  company.  The  richness  of  her 
dress,  however,  as  well  as  the  mettle  and  form  of  her  palfrey, 
together  with  the  silvan  compliment  paid  to  her  by  the  hunts- 
man, pointed  her  out  to  Bucklaw  as  the  principal  person  in 
the  field.  It  was  not  without  a  feeling  of  pity,  approaching 
even  to  contempt,  that  this  enthusiastic  hunter  observed  her 
refuse  the  huntsman's  knife,  presented  to  her  for  the  purpose 
of  making  the  first  incision  m  the  stag's  breast,  and  thereby 
discovering  the  quality  of  the  venison.  He  felt  more  than 
half  inclined  to  pay  his  compliments  to  her ;  but  it  had  been 
Bucklaw's  misfortune,  that  his  habits  of  life  had  not  rendered 
him  familiarly  acquainted  with  the  higher  and  better  classes 
of  female  society,  so  that,  with  all  his  natural  audacity,  he 
felt  sheepish  and  bashful  when  it  became  necessary  to  address 
a  lady  of  distinction. 

Taking  unto  himself  heart  of  grace  (to  use  his  own  phrase), 
he  did  at  length  summon  up  resolution  enough  to  give  the  fair 
huntress  good  time  of  the  day,  and  trust  that  her  sport  had 
answered  her  expectation.  Her  answer  was  very  courteously 
and  modestly  expressed,  and  testified  some  gratitude  to  the 
gallant  cavalier,  whose  exploit  had  terminated  the  chase  so 
adroitly,  when  the  hounds  and  huntsmen  seemed  somewhat 
at  a  stand. 

"Uds  daggers  and  scabbard,  madam,"  said  Bucklaw,  whom 
this  observation  brought  at  once  upon  his  own  ground,  "  there 
is  no  difficulty  or  merit  in  that  matter  at  all,  so  that  a  fellow 
is  not  too  much  afraid  of  having  a  pair  of  antlers  in  his  guts. 
I  have  hunted  at  force  five  hundred  times,  madam;  and  I 
never  yet  saw  the  stag  at  bay,  by  land  or  water,  but  I  durst 
have  gone  roundly  in  on  him.  It  is  all  use  and  wont,  madam ; 
and  I'll  tell  you,  madam,  for  aU  that,  it  must  be  done  with 
good  heed  and  caution ;  and  you  will  do  well,  madam,  to  have 
your  hunting- sword  right  sharp  and  double-edged,  that  you 
may  strike  either  fore-handed  or  back-handed,  as  you  see 
reason,  for  a  hurt  with  a  buck's  horn  is  a  perilous  and  some- 
what venomous  matter." 


118  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

"  I  am  afraid,  sir,  '^  said  the  young  lady,  and  her  smile  was 
scarce  concealed  by  her  vizard,  "  I  shall  have  little  use  for 
such  careful  preparation." 

"But  the  gentleman  says  very  right  for  all  that,  my  lady," 
said  an  old  huntsman,  who  had  listened  to  Bucklaw's  har- 
angue with  no  small  edification ;  "  and  I  have  heard  my  fa- 
ther say,  who  was  a  forester  at  the  Cabrach,  that  a  wild  boar's 
gaunch  is  more  easily  healed  than  a  hurt  from  the  deer's  horn, 
for  so  says  the  old  woodman's  rhyme — 

If  thou  be  hurt  with  horn  of  hart,  it  brings  thee  to  thy  bier ; 
But  tusk  of  boar  shall  leeches  heal,  thereof  have  lesser  fear." 

"  An  I  might  advise, "  continued  Bucklaw,  who  was  now  in 
his  element,  and  desirous  of  assuming  the  whole  management, 
"  as  the  hounds  are  surbated  and  weary,  the  head  of  the  stag 
should  be  cabaged  in  order  to  reward  them ;  and  if  I  may  pre- 
sume to  speak,  the  huntsman,  who  is  to  break  up  the  stag, 
ought  to  drink  to  your  good  ladyship's  health  a  good  lusty 
bicker  of  ale,  or  a  tass  of  brandy ;  for  if  he  breaks  him  up 
without  drinking,  the  venison  will  not  keep  well." 

This  very  agreeable  prescription  received,  as  will  be  readily 
believed,  all  acceptation  from  the  huntsman,  who,  in  requital, 
offered  to  Bucklaw  the  compliment  of  his  knife,  which  the 
young  lady  had  declined. 

This  polite  proffer  was  seconded  by  his  mistress.  "  I  be- 
lieve, sir,"  she  said,  withdrawing  herself  from  the  circle,  "  that 
my  father,  for  whose  amusement  Lord  Bittlebrains's  hotmds 
have  been  out  to-day,  will  readily  surrender  all  care  of  these 
matters  to  a  gentleman  of  your  experience. " 

Then,  bendmg  gracefully  from  her  horse,  she  wished  him 
good  morning,  and,  attended  by  one  or  two  domestics,  who 
seemed  immediately  attached  to  her  service,  retired  from  the 
scene  of  action,  to  which  Bucklaw,  too  much  delighted  with 
an  opportunity  of  displaying  his  woodcraft  to  care  about  man 
or  woman  either,  paid  little  attention ;  but  was  soon  stript  to 
his  doublet,  with  tucked-up  sleeves,  and  naked  arms  up  to  the 
elbows  in  blood  and  grease,  slashing,  cutting,  hacking,  and 
hewing,  with  the  precision  of  Sir  Tristrem  himself,  and  wrang- 


-  THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  119 

ling  and  disputing  with  all  around  him  concerning  nombles, 
briskets,  flankards,  and  raven-bones,  then  usual  terms  of  the 
art  of  hunting,  or  of  butchery,  whichever  the  reader  chooses 
to  call  it,  which  are  now  probably  antiquated. 

When  Ravenswood,  v/ho  followed  a  short  space  behind  his 
friend,  saw  that  the  stag  had  fallen,  his  temporary  ardour  for 
the  chase  gave  way  to  that  feeling  of  reluctance  which  he  en- 
dured at  encountering  in  his  fallen  fortunes  the  gaze  whether 
of  equals  or  inferiors.  He  reined  up  his  horse  on  the  top  of 
a  gentle  eminence,  from  which  he  observed  the  busy  and  gay 
scene  beneath  him,  and  heard  the  whoops  of  the  huntsmen, 
gaily  mingled  with  the  cry  of  the  dogs,  and  the  neighing  and 
trampling  of  the  horses.  But  these  jovial  sounds  fell  sadly 
on  the  ear  of  the  ruined  nobleman.  The  chase,  with  all  its 
train  of  excitations,  has  ever  since  feudal  times  been  account- 
ed the  almost  exclusive  privilege  of  the  aristocracy,  and  was 
anciently  their  chief  employment  in  times  of  peace.  The 
sense  that  he  was  excluded  by  his  situation  from  enjoying  the 
silvan  sport,  which  his  rank  assigned  to  him  as  a  special  pre- 
rogative, and  the  feeling  that  new  men  were  now  exercising 
it  over  the  downs  which  had  been  jealously  reserved  by  his 
ancestors  for  their  own  amusement,  while  he,  the  heir  of  the 
domain,  was  fain  to  hold  himself  at  a  distance  from  their 
party,  awakened  reflections  calculated  to  depress  deeply  a 
mind  like  Ravenswood' s,  which  was  naturally  contemplative 
and  melancholy.  His  pride,  however,  soon  shook  off  this 
feeling  of  dejection,  and  it  gave  way  to  impatience  upon  find- 
ing that  his  volatile  friend  Bucklaw  seemed  in  no  hurry  to 
return  with  his  borrowed  steed,  which  Ravenswood,  before 
leaving  the  field,  wished  to  see  restored  to  the  obliging  owner. 
As  he  was  about  to  move  towards  the  group  of  assembled 
huntsmen,  he  was  joined  by  a  horseman,  who,  like  himself, 
had  kept  aloof  during  the  fall  of  the  deer. 

This  personage  seemed  stricken  in  years.  He  wore  a  scar- 
let cloak,  buttoning  high  upon  his  face,  and  his  hat  was  un- 
looped  and  slouched,  probably  by  way  of  defence  against  the 
weather.  His  horse,  a  strong  and  steady  palfrey,  was  calcu- 
lated for  a  rider  who  .proposed  to  witness  the  sport  of  the  day 


120  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

rather  than  to  share  it.  An  attendant  waited  at  some  distance, 
and  the  whole  equipment  was  that  of  an  elderly  gentleman  of 
rank  and  fashion.  He  accosted  Kavenswood  very  politely, 
but  not  without  some  embarrassment. 

"You  seem  a  gallant  young  gentleman,  sir,"  he  said,  "and 
yet  appear  as  indifferent  to  this  brave  sport  as  if  you  had  my 
load  of  years  on  your  shoulders." 

"  I  have  followed  the  sport  with  more  spirit  on  other  occa- 
sions," replied  the  Master;  "at  present,  late  events  in  my 
family  must  be  my  apology;  and  besides,"  he  added,  "I  was 
but  indifferently  mounted  at  the  beginning  of  the  sport." 

"  I  think, "  said  the  stranger,  "  one  of  my  attendants  had 
the  sense  to  accommodate  your  friend  with  a  horse. " 

"  I  was  much  indebted  to  his  politeness  and  yours, "  replied 
Ravenswood.  "  My  friend  is  Mr.  Hayston  of  Bucklaw,  whom 
I  dare  say  you  will  be  sure  to  find  in  the  thick  of  the  keenest 
sportsmen.  He  will  return  your  servant's  horse,  and  take 
my  pony  in  exchange ;  and  will  add, "  he  concluded,  turning 
his  horse's  head  from  the  stranger,  "his  best  acknowledg- 
ments to  mine  for  the  accommodation." 

The  Master  of  Eavenswood,  having  thus  expressed  himself, 
began  to  move  homeward,  with  the  manner  of  one  who  has 
taken  leave  of  his  company.  But  the  stranger  was  not  so  to 
be  shaken  off.  He  turned  his  horse  at  the  same  time,  and  rode 
in  the  same  direction,  so  near  to  the  Master  that,  without  outrid- 
ing him,  which  the  formal  civility  of  the  time,  and  the  respect 
due  to  the  stranger's  age  and  recent  civility,  would  have  ren- 
dered improper,  he  could  not  easily  escape  from  his  company. 

The  stranger  did  not  long  remain  silent.  "  This,  then, "  he 
said,  "  is  the  ancient  Castle  of  Wolf's  Crag,  often  mentioned  in 
the  Scottish  records, "  looking  to  the  old  tower,  then  darkening 
under  the  influence  of  a  stormy  cloud,  that  formed  its  back- 
ground; for  at  the  distance  of  a  short  mile,  the  chase,  having 
been  circuitous,  had  brought  the  hunters  nearly  back  to  the 
point  which  they  had  attained  when  Eavenswood  and  Buck- 
law  had  set  forward  to  join  them. 

Eavenswood  answered  this  observation  with  a  cold  and  dis- 
tant assent. 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  121 

"It  was,  as  I  have  heard,"  contmued  the  stranger,  una- 
bashed by  his  coldness,  "one  of  the  most  early  possessions 
of  the  honourable  family  of  Ravenswood." 

"Their  earliest  possession,"  answered  the  Master,  "and 
probably  their  latest. " 

"I — I — I  should  hope  not,  sir,"  answered  the  stranger, 
clearing  his  voice  with  more  than  one  cough,  and  making  an 
effort  to  overcome  a  certain  degree  of  hesitation ;  "  Scotland 
knows  what  she  owes  to  this  ancient  family,  and  remembers 
their  frequent  and  honourable  achievements.  I  have  little 
doubt  that,  were  it  properly  represented  to  her  Majesty  that 
so  ancient  and  noble  a  family  were  subjected  to  dilapidation — 
I  mean  to  decay — means  might  be  found,  ad  re-cedificandum 
antiquani  doimivi " 

"  I  will  save  you  the  trouble,  sir,  of  discussing  this  point 
farther, "  interrupted  the  Master,  haughtily.  "  I  am  the  heir 
of  that  unfortunate  house — I  am  the  Master  of  Ravenswood. 
And  you,  sir,  who  seem  to  be  a  gentleman  of  fashion  and  edu- 
cation, must  be  sensible  that  the  next  mortification  after  being 
unhapx)y  is  the  being  loaded  with  undesired  commiseration. " 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  sir, "  said  the  elder  horseman ;  "  I  did 
not  know — I  am  sensible  I  ought  not  to  have  mentioned — noth- 
ing could  be  farther  from  my  thoughts  than  to  suppose " 

"  There  are  no  apologies  necessary,  sir, "  answered  Ravens- 
wood,  "  for  here,  I  suppose,  our  roads  separate,  and  I  assure 
you  that  we  part  in  perfect  equanimity  on  my  side." 

As  speaking  these  words,  he  directed  his  horse's  head  tow- 
ards a  narrow  causeway,  the  ancient  approach  to  Wolf's  Crag, 
of  which  it  might  be  truly  said,  in  the  words  of  the  Bard  of 
Hope,  that 

Frequented  by  few  was  the  grass-cover' d  road, 
Where  the  hunter  of  deer  and  the  M'arrior  trode, 
To  his  hills  that  encircle  the  sea. 

But,  ere  he  could  disengage  himself  from  his  companion,  the 
young  lady  we  have  already  mentioned  came  up  to  join  the 
stranger,  followed  by  her  servants. 

"  Daughter, "  said  the  stranger  to  the  masked  damsel,  "  this 
is  the  Master  of  Ravenswood." 


122  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

It  would  have  been  natural  that  the  gentleman  should  have 
replied  to  this  introduction;  but  there  was  something  in  the 
graceful  form  and  retiring  modesty  of  the  female  to  whom  he 
was  thus  presented,  which  not  only  prevented  him  from  in- 
quiring to  whom,  and  by  whom,  the  annunciation  had  been 
made,  but  which  even  for  the  time  struck  him  absolute^  mute. 
Ab  this  moment  the  cloud  which  had  long  lowered  above  the 
height  on  which  Wolf's  Crag  is  situated,  and  which  now,  as 
it  advanced,  spread  itself  in  darker  and  denser  folds  both  over 
land  and  sea,  hiding  the  distant  objects  and  obscuring  those 
which  were  nearer,  turning  the  sea  to  a  leaden  complexion  and 
the  heath  to  a  darker  brown,  began  now,  by  one  or  two  distant 
peals,  to  announce  the  thunders  with  which  it  was  fraught; 
while  two  flashes  of  lightning,  following  each  other  very 
closely,  showed  in  the  distance  the  grey  turrets  of  Wolf's 
Crag,  and,  more  nearly,  the  rolling  billows  of  the  ocean, 
crested  suddenly  with  red  and  dazzling  light. 

The  horse  of  the  fair  huntress  showed  symptoms  of  impa- 
tience and  restiveness,  and  it  became  impossible  for  Kavens-- 
wood,  as  a  man  or  a  gentleman,  to  leave  her  abruptly  to  the 
care  of  an  aged  father  or  her  menial  attendants.  He  was,  or 
believed  himself,  obliged  in  courtesy  to  take  hold  of  her  bridle, 
and  assist  her  in  managing  the  unruly  animal.  While  he  was 
thus  engaged,  the  old  gentleman  observed  that  the  storm 
seemed  to  increase;  that  they  were  far  from  Lord  Bittle- 
brains's,  whose  guests  they  were  for  the  present;  and  that 
he  would  be  obliged  to  the  Master  of  Kavenswoood  to  point 
him  the  way  to  the  nearest  place  of  refuge  from  the  storm. 
At  the  same  time  he  cast  a  wistful  and  embarrassed  look  tow- 
ards the  Tower  of  Wolf's  Crag,  which  seemed  to  render  it 
almost  impossible  for  the  owner  to  avoid  offering  an  old  man 
and  a  lady,  in  such  an  emergency,  the  temporary  use  of  his 
house.  Indeed,  the  condition  of  the  young  huntress  made 
this  courtesy  indispensable ;  for,  in  the  course  of  the  services 
which  he  rendered,  he  could  not  but  perceive  that  she  trembled 
much,  and  was  extremely  agitated,  from  her  apprehensions, 
doubtless,  of  the  coming  storm. 

I  know  not  if  the  Master  of  Eavenswood  shared  her  terrors, 


THE   BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  1^3 

but  he  was  not  entirely  free  from  something  like  a  similar 
disorder  of  nerves,  as  he  observed,  "The  Tower  of  Wolf's 
Crag  has  nothing  to  offer  beyond  the  shelter  of  its  roof,  but 

if  that  can  be  acceptable  at  such  a  moment "  he  paused, 

as  if  the  rest  of  the  invitation  stuck  in  his  throat.  But  the 
old  gentleman,  his  self -constituted  companion,  did  not  allow 
him  to  recede  from  the  invitation,  which  he  had  rather  suf- 
fered to  be  implied  than  directlly  expressed. 

"The  storm,"  said  the  stranger,  "must  be  an  apology  for 
waiving  ceremony;  his  daughter's  health  was  weak,  she  had 
suffered  much  from  a  recent  alarm;  he  trusted  their  intrusion 
on  the  Master  of  Ravenswood's  hospitality  would  not  be  al- 
together unpardonable  in  the  circumstances  of  the  case :  his 
child's  safety  must  be  dearer  to  him  than  ceremony." 

There  was  no  room  to  retreat.  The  Master  of  Eavenswood 
led  the  way,  continuing  to  keep  hold  of  the  lady's  bridle  to 
prevent  her  horse  from  starting  at  some  unexpected  explosion 
of  thunder.  He  was  not  so  bewildered  in  his  own  hurried  re- 
flections but  that  he  remarked,  that  the  deadly  paleness  which 
had  occupied  her  neck  and  temples,  and  such  of  her  features 
as  the  riding-mask  left  exposed,  gave  place  to  a  deep  and  rosy 
suffusion ;  and  he  felt  with  embarrassment  that  a  flush  was 
by  tacit  sympathy  excited  in  his  own  cheeks.  The  stranger, 
with  watchfulness  which  he  disguised  under  apprehensions  of 
the  safety  of  his  daughter,  continued  to  observe  the  expres- 
sion of  the  Master's  countenance  as  they  ascended  the  hill  to 
Wolf's  Crag.  When  they  stood  in  front  of  that  ancient  for- 
tress, Eavenswood' s  emotions  were  of  a  very  complicated  de- 
scription ;  and  as  he  led  the  way  into  the  rude  courtyard,  and 
hallooed  to  Caleb  to  give  attendance,  there  was  a  tone  of  stern- 
ness, almost  of  fierceness,  which  seemed  somewhat  alien  from 
the  courtesies  of  one  who  is  receiving  honoured  guests. 

Caleb  came ;  and  not  the  paleness  of  the  fair  stranger  at 
the  first  approach  of  the  thunder,  nor  the  paleness  of  any 
other  person,  in  any  other  circumstances  whatever,  equalled 
that  which  overcame  the  thin  cheeks  of  the  disconsolate  sene- 
schal when  he  beheld  this  accession  of  guests  to  the  castle, 
and  reflected  that  the  dinner  hour  was  fast  approaching.     "  Is 


124  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

he  daft?''  he  muttered  to  himself; — "is  he  clean  daft  a'the- 
gither,  to  bring  lords  and  leddies,  and  a  host  of  folk  behint 
them,  and  twal  o'clock  chappit?"  Then  approaching  the  Mas- 
ter, he  craved  pardon  for  having  permitted  the  rest  of  his  peo- 
ple to  go  out  to  see  the  hunt,  observing,  that  "  They  wad  never 
think  of  his  lordship  coming  back  till  mirk  night,  and  that  he 
dreaded  they  might  play  the  truant." 

"Silence,  Balderstone!"  said  Ravenswood,  sternly;  "your 
folly  is  unseasonable.  Sir  and  madam, "  he  said,  turning  to 
his  guests,  "  this  old  man,  and  a  yet  older  and  more  imbecile 
female  domestic,  form  my  whole  retinue.  Our  means  of  re- 
freshing you  are  more  scanty  than  even  so  miserable  a  retinue, 
and  a  dwelling  so  dilapidated,  might  seem  to  promise  you ; 
but,  such  as  they  may  chance  to  be,  you  may  command 
them." 

The  elder  stranger,  struck  with  the  ruined  and  even  savage 
appearance  of  the  Tower,  rendered  still  more  disconsolate  by 
the  lowering  and  gloomy  sky,  and  perhaps  not  altogether  un- 
moved by  the  grave  and  determined  voice  in  which  their  host 
addressed  them,  looked  round  him  anxiously,  as  if  he  half 
repented  the  readiness  with  which  he  had  accepted  the  of- 
fered hospitality.  But  there  was  now  no  opportunity  of  re- 
ceding from  the  situation  in  which  he  had  placed  himself. 

As  for  Caleb,  he  was  so  utterly  stunned  by  his  master's 
public  and  unqualified  acknowledgment  of  the  nakedness  of 
the  land,  that  for  two  minutes  he  could  only  mutter  within 
his  hebdomadal  beard,  which  had  not  felt  the  razor  for  six 
days,  "He's  daft — clean  daft — red  wud,  and  awa'  wi't!  But 
deil  hae  Caleb  Balderstone, "  said  he,  collecting  his  powers  of 
invention  and  resource,  "  if  the  family  shall  lose  credit,  if  he 
were  as  mad  as  the  seven  wise  masters!"  He  then  boldly  ad- 
vanced, and  in  spite  of  his  master's  frowns  and  impatience, 
gravely  asked,  "If  he  should  not  serve  up  some  slight  re- 
fection for  the  young  leddy,  and  a  glass  of  tokay,  or  old 
sack — or " 

"Truce  to  this  ill-timed  foolery,"  said  the  Master,  sternly; 
"  put  the  horses  into  the  stable,  and  interrupt  us  no  more  with 
your  absurdities." 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  125 

"Your  honour's  pleasure  is  to  be  obeyed  aboon  a'  things," 
said  Caleb;  "nevertheless,  as  for  the  sack  and  tokay  which 
it  is  not  your  noble  guests'  pleasure  to  accept " 

But  here  the  voice  of  Bucklaw,  heard  even  above  the  clat- 
tering of  hoofs  and  braying  of  horns  with  which  it  mingled, 
announced  that  he  was  scaling  the  pathway  to  the  Tower  at 
the  head  of  the  greater  part  of  the  gallant  hunting  train. 

"The  deil  be  in  me,"  said  Caleb,  taking  heart  in  spite  of 
this  new  invasion  of  Philistines,  "  if  they  shall  beat  me  yet ! 
The  hellicat  ne'er-do-weel!  to  bring  such  a  crew  here,  that 
will  expect  to  find  brandy  as  plenty  as  ditch-water,  and  he 
kenning  sae  absolutely  the  case  in  whilk  we  stand  for  the 
present !  But  I  trow,  could  I  get  rid  of  thae  gaping  gowks  of 
flunkies  that  hae  won  into  the  courtyard  at  the  back  of  their 
betters,  as  mony  a  man  gets  preferment,  I  could  make  a'  right 
yet." 

The  measures  which  he  took  to  execute  this  dauntless  reso- 
lution, the  reader  shall  learn  in  the  next  chapter. 


CHAPTER   X. 

"With  throat  unslaked,  with  blaok  lips  baked, 

Agape  they  heard  him  call ; 
Gramercy  they  for  joy  did  grin, 
And  all  at  once  their  breath  drew  in. 

As  they  had  been  drinking  all ! 

Coleridge's  Rime  of  the  Ancient  Mariner. 

Hatstox  of  Bucklaw  was  one  of  the  thoughtless  class  who 
never  hesitate  between  their  friend  and  their  jest.  When  it 
was  announced  that  the  principal  persons  of  the  chase  had 
taken  their  route  towards  Wolf's  Crag,  the  huntsmen,  as  a 
point  of  civility,  offered  to  transfer  the  venison  to  that  man- 
sion; a  proffer  which  was  readily  accepted  by  Bucklaw,  who 
thought  much  of  the  astonishment  which  their  arrival  in  full 
body  would  occasion  poor  old  Caleb  Balderstone,  and  very 
little  of  the  dilemma  to  which  he  was  about  to  expose  his 
friend  the  Master,  so  ill  circumstanced  to  receive  such  a  party. 


126  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

But  in  old  Caleb  lie  had  to  do  with  a  crafty  and  alert  antag- 
onist, prompt  at  supplying,  upon  all  emergencies,  evasions 
and  excuses  suitable,  as  he  thought,  to  the  dignity  of  the 
family. 

''Praise  be  blest!''  said  Caleb  to  himself,  "ae  leaf  of  the 
muckle  gate  has  been  swung  to  wi'  yestreen's  wind,  and  I  think 
I  can  manage  to  shut  the  ither." 

But  he  was  desirous,  like  a  prudent  governor,  at  the  same 
time  to  get  rid,  if  possible,  of  the  internal  enemy,  in  which 
light  he  considered  almost  every  one  who  eat  and  drank,  ere 
he  took  measures  to  exclude  those  whom  their  jocund  noise 
now  pronounced  to  be  near  at  hand.  He  waited,  therefore, 
with  impatience  until  his  master  had  shown  his  two  principal 
guests  into  the  Tower,  and  then  commenced  his  operations. 

"I  think,"  he  said  to  the  stranger  menials,  "that,  as  they 
are  bringing  the  stag's  head  to  the  castle  in  all  honour,  we, 
who  are  indwellers,  should  receive  them  at  the  gate." 

The  unwary  grooms  had  no  sooner  hurried  out,  in  compli- 
ance with  this  insidous  hint,  than,  one  folding-door  of  the 
ancient  gate  being  already  closed  by  the  wind,  as  has  been 
already  intimated,  honest  Caleb  lost  no  time  in  shutting  the 
other  with  a  clang,  which  resounded  from  donjon-vault  to 
battlement.  Having  thus  secured  the  pass,  he  forthwith  in- 
dulged the  excluded  huntsmen  in  brief  parley,  from  a  small 
projecting  window,  or  shot-hole,  through  Avhich,  in  former 
days,  the  warders  were  wont  to  reconnoitre  those  who  pre- 
sented themselves  before  the  gates.  He  gave  them  to  under- 
stand, in  a  short  and  pithy  speech,  that  the  gate  of  the  castle 
was  never  on  any  account  opened  during  meal-times;'  that 
his  honour,  the  Master  of  Kavenswood,  and  some  guests  of 
quality,  had  just  sat  down  to  dinner;  that  there  was  excel- 
lent brandy  at  the  hostler-wife's  at  Wolf's  Hope  down  below; 
and  he  held  out  some  obscure  hint  that  the  reckoning  would 
be  discharged  by  the  Master ;  but  this  was  uttered  in  a  very 
dubious  and  oracular  strain,  for,  like  Louis  XIV.,  Caleb  Bal- 
derstone  hesitated  to  csltyj  Jinesse  so  far  as  direct  falsehood, 
and  was  content  to  deceive,  if  possible,  without  directly  lying. 
1  [See  Old  Mortality,  Note  12,  p.  462.] 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  127 

This  annunciation  was  received  with  surprise  by  some,  with 
laughter  by  others,  and  with  dismay  by  the  expelled  lack- 
eys, who  endeavoured  to  demonstrate  that  their  right  of  read- 
mission,  for  the  ]3urpose  of  waiting  upon  their  master  and 
mistress,  was  at  least  indisputable.  But  Caleb  was  not  in  a 
humour  to  understand  or  admit  any  distinctions.  He  stuck 
to  his  original  proposition  with  that  dogged  but  convenient 
pertinacity  which  is  armed  against  all  conviction,  and  deaf  to 
all  reasoning.  Bucklaw  now  came  from  the  rear  of  the  party, 
and  demanded  admittance  in  a  very  angry  tone.  But  the 
resolution  of  Caleb  was  immovable. 

"  If  the  king  on  the  throne  were  at  the  gate, "  he  declared, 
"  his  ten  fingers  should  never  open  it  contrair  to  the  estab- 
lished use  and  wont  of  the  family  of  Ravenswood,  and  his 
duty  as  their  head-servant." 

Bucklaw  was  now  extremely  incensed,  and  with  more  oaths 
and  curses  than  we  care  to  repeat,  declared  himself  most  un- 
worthily treated,  and  demanded  peremptorily  to  speak  with 
the  Master  of  Ravenswood  himself. 

But  to  this  also  Caleb  turned  a  deaf  ear.  "  He's  as  soon 
a-bleeze  as  a  tap  of  tow,  the  lad  Bucklaw,"  he  said;  "but 
the  deil  of  ony  master's  face  he  shall  see  till  he  has  sleepit 
and  waken'd  on't.  He'll  ken  himsell  better  the  morn's  morn- 
ing. It  sets  the  like  o'  him,  to  be  bringing  a  crew  of  drunken 
hunters  here,  when  he  kens  there  is  but  little  preparation  to 
sloken  his  ain  drought."  And  he  disappeared  from  the  win- 
dow, leaving  them  all  to  digest  their  exclusion  as  they  best 
might. 

But  another  person,  of  whose  presence  Caleb,  in  the  anima- 
tion of  the  debate,  was  not  aware,  had  listened  in  silence  to 
its  progress.  This  was  the  principal  domestic  of  the  stran- 
ger— a  man  of  trust  and  consequence — the  same  who,  in  the 
hunting-field,  had  accommodated  Bucklaw  with  the  use  of  his 
horse.  He  was  in  the  stable  when  Caleb  had  contrived  the 
expulsion  of  his  fellow -servants,  and  thus  avoided  sharing  the 
same  fate,  from  which  his  personal  importance  would  certainly 
not  have  otherwise  saved  him. 

This  personage  perceived  the  manoeuvre  of  Caleb,  easily  ap- 


128  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

predated  the  motive  of  his  conduct,  and  knowing  his  master's 
intentions  towards  the  family  of  Ravenswood,  had  no  diffi- 
culty as  to  the  line  of  conduct  he  ought  to  adopt.  He  took 
the  place  of  Caleb  (unperceived  by  the  latter)  at  the  post  of 
audience  which  he  had  just  left,  and  announced  to  the  assem- 
bled domestics,  "  That  it  was  his  master's  pleasure  that  Lord 
Bittlebrains's  retinue  and  his  own  should  go  down  to  the  adja- 
cent change-house  and  call  for  what  refreshments  they  might 
have  occasion  for,  and  he  should  take  care  to  discharge  the 
lawing. " 

The  jolly  troop  of  huntsmen  retired  from  the  inhospitable 
gate  of  Wolf's  Crag,  execrating,  as  they  descended  the  steep 
pathway,  the  niggard  and  unworthy  disposition  of  the  propri- 
etor, and  damning,  with  more  than  silvan  license,  both  the 
castle  and  its  inhabitants.  Bucklaw,  with  many  qualities 
which  would  have  made  him  a  man  of  worth  and  judgment 
in  more  favourable  circumstances,  had  been  so  utterly  neg- 
lected in  point  of  education,  that  he  was  apt  to  think  and  feel 
according  to  the  ideas  of  the  companions  of  his  pleasures. 
The  praises  which  had  recently  been  heaped  upon  himself  he 
contrasted  with  the  general  abuse  now  levelled  against  Ravens- 
wood;  he  recalled  to  his  mind  the  dull  and  monotonous  days 
he  had  spent  in  the  Tower  of  Wolf's  Crag,  compared  with  the 
jovialty  of  his  usual  life ;  he  felt  with  great  indignation  his 
exclusion  from  the  castle,  which  he  considered  as  a  gross  af- 
front, and  every  mingled  feeling  led  him  to  break  off  the  union 
which  he  had  formed  with  the  Master  of  Ravenswood. 

On  arriving  at  the  change-house  of  the  village  of  Wolf's 
Hope,  he  unexpectedly  met  with  an  old  acquaintance  just 
alighting  from  his  horse.  This  was  no  other  than  the  very 
respectable  Captain  Craigengelt,  who  immediately  came  up  to 
him,  and,  without  appearing  to  retain  any  recollection  of  the 
indifferent  terms  on  which  they  had  parted,  shook  him  by  the 
hand  in  the  warmest  manner  possible.  A  warm  grasp  of 
the  hand  was  what  Bucklaw  could  never  help  returning  with 
cordiality,  and  no  sooner  had  Craigengelt  felt  the  pressure  of 
his  fingers  than  he  knew  the  terms  on  which  he  stood  with 
him. 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  129 

"Long  life  to  you,  Bucklaw!"  he  exclaimed;  "there's  life 
for  honest  folk  in  this  bad  world  yet!" 

The  Jacobites  at  this  period,  with  what  propriety  I  know 
not,  used,  it  must  be  noticed,  the  term  of  honest  men  as  pecu- 
liarly descriptive  of  their  own  party. 

"Ay,  and  for  others  besides,  it  seems,"  answered  Bucklaw; 
"otherways,  how  came  you  to  venture  hither,  noble  Captain?" 

"Who — I?  I  am  as  free  as  the  wind  at  Martinmas,  that 
pays  neither  land-rent  nor  annual ;  all  is  explained — all  settled 
with  the  honest  old  drivellers  yonder  of  Auld  Reekie.  Pooh! 
pooh !  they  dared  not  keep  me  a  week  of  days  in  durance.  A 
certain  person  has  better  friends  among  them  than  you  wot  of, 
and  can  serve  a  friend  when  it  is  least  likely." 

"  Pshaw !  answered  Hayston,  who  perfectly  knew  and  thor- 
oughly despised  the  character  of  this  man,  "none  of  your 
cogging  gibberish;  tell  me  truly,  are  you  at  liberty  and  in 
safety?" 

"  Free  and  safe  as  a  Whig  bailie  on  the  causeway  of  his  own 
borough,  or  a  canting  Presbyterian  minister  in  his  own  pul- 
pit ;  and  I  came  to  tell  you  that  you  need  not  remain  in  hiding 
any  longer." 

"  Then  I  suppose  you  call  yourself  my  friend.  Captain  Crai- 
gengelt?"  said  Bucklaw. 

"Friend!"  replied  Craigengelt,  "my  cock  of  the  pit!  why, 
I  am  thy  very  Achates,  man,  as  I  have  heard  scholars  say — 
hand  and  glove — bark  and  tree — thine  to  life  and  death!" 

"  I'll  try  that  in  a  moment, "  answered  Bucklaw.  "  Thou  art 
never  without  money,  however  thou  comest  by  it.  Lend  me 
two  pieces  to  wash  the  dust  out  of  these  honest  fellows'  throats 
in  the  first  place,  and  then " 

"  Two  pieces !  Twenty  are  at  thy  service,  my  lad,  and 
twenty  to  back  them." 

"Ay,  say  you  so?"  said  Bucklaw,  pausing,  for  his  natural 
penetration  led  him  to  suspect  some  extraordinary  motive  lay 
couched  under  an  excess  of  generosity.  "Craigengelt,  you 
are  either  an  honest  fellow  in  right  good  earnest,  and  I  scarce 
know  how  to  believe  that ;  or  you  are  cleverer  than  I  took 
you  for,  and  I  scarce  know  how  to  believe  that  either." 
9 


130  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

^^Vun  n'emjpeclie  fas  Vautre,^^  said  Craigengelt.  "Touch 
and  try ;  the  gold  is  good  as  ever  was  weighed. " 

He  put  a  quantity  of  gold  pieces  into  Bucklaw's  hand, 
which  he  thrust  into  his  pocket  without  either  counting  or 
looking  at  them,  onl}^  observing,  "  That  he  was  so  circum- 
stanced that  he  must  enlist,  though  the  devil  offered  the  press- 
money";  and  then  turning  to  the  huntsmen,  he  called  out, 
"Come  along,  my  lads;  all  is  at  my  cost." 

"Long  life  to  Bucklaw!"  shouted  the  men  of  the  chase. 

"  And  confusion  to  him  that  takes  his  share  of  the  sport, 
and  leaves  the  hunters  as  dry  as  a  drumhead, "  added  another, 
by  way  of  corollary. 

"  The  house  of  Kavenswood  was  ance  a  gude  and  an  honour- 
able house  in  this  land,"  said  an  old  man;  "but  it's  lost  its 
credit  this  day,  and  the  Master  has  shown  himself  no  better 
than  a  greedy  cullion." 

And  with  this  conclusion,  which  was  unanimously  agreed 
to  by  all  who  heard  it,  they  rushed  tumultuously  into  the  house 
of  entertainment,  where  they  revelled  till  a  late  hour.  The 
jovial  temper  of  Bucklaw  seldom  permitted  him  to  be  nice  in 
the  choice  of  his  associates ;  and  on  the  present  occasion,  when 
his  joyous  debauch  received  additional  zest  from  the  interven- 
tion of  an  unusual  space  of  sobriety,  and  almost  abstinence, 
he  was  as  happy  in  leading  the  revels  as  if  his  comrades  had 
been  sons  of  princes.  Craigengelt  had  his  own  purposes  in 
fooling  him  up  to  the  top  of  his  bent ;  and  having  some  low 
humour,  much  impudence,  and  the  power  of  singing  a  good 
song,  understanding  besides  thoroughly  the  disposition  of  his 
regained  associate,  he  readily  succeeded  in  involving  him 
bumper-deep  in  the  festivity  of  the  meeting. 

A  very  different  scene  was  in  the  mean  time  passing  in  the 
Tower  of  Wolf's  Crag.  When  the  Master  of  Kavenswood  left 
the  courtyard,  too  much  busied  with  his  own  perplexed  reflec- 
tions to  pay  attention  to  the  manoeuvre  of  Caleb,  he  ushered 
his  guests  into  the  great  hall  of  the  castle. 

The  indefatigable  Balderstone,  who,  from  choice  or  habit, 
worked  on  from  morning  to  night,  had  by  degrees  cleared  this 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  131 

desolate  apartment  of  the  confused  relics  of  the  funeral  ban- 
quet, and  restored  it  to  some  order.  But  not  all  his  skill  and 
labour,  in  disposing  to  advantage  the  little  furniture  which 
remained,  could  remove  the  dark  and  disconsolate  appearance 
of  those  ancient  and  disfurnished  walls.  The  narrow  win- 
dows, flanked  by  deep  mdentures  into  the  walls,  seemed 
formed  rather  to  exclude  than  to  admit  the  cheerful  light ; 
and  the  heavy  and  gloomy  appearance  of  the  thunder-sky 
added  still  farther  to  the  obscurity. 

As  Ravenswood,  with  the  grace  of  a  gallant  of  that  period, 
but  not  without  a  certain  stiffness  and  embarrassment  of  man- 
ner, handed  the  young  lady  to  the  upper  end  of  the  apartment, 
her  father  remained  standing  more  near  to  the  door,  as  if 
about  to  disengage  himself  from  his  hat  and  cloak.  At  this 
moment  the  clang  of  the  portal  was  heard,  a  sound  at 
which  the  stranger  started,  stepped  hastily  to  the  window, 
and  looked  with  an  air  of  alarm  at  Ravenswood,  when  he 
saw  that  the  gate  of  the  court  was  shut,  and  his  domestics 
excluded. 

"  You  have  nothing  to  fear,  sir, "  said  Ravenswood,  gravely ; 
"  this  roof  retains  the  means  of  giving  protection,  though  not 
welcome.  Methinks, "  he  added,  "  it  is  time  that  I  should 
know  who  they  are  that  have  thus  highly  honoured  my  ruined 
dwelling!" 

The  young  lady  remained  silent  and  motionless,  and  the 
father,  to  whom  the  question  was  more  directly  addressed, 
seemed  in  the  situation  of  a  performer  who  has  ventured  to 
take  upon  himself  a  part  which  he  finds  himself  unable  to 
present,  and  who  comes  to  a  pause  when  it  is  most  to  be  ex- 
pected that  he  should  speak.  While  he  endeavoured  to  cover 
his  embarrassment  with  the  exterior  ceremonials  of  a  well- 
bred  demeanour,  it  was  obvious  that,  in  making  his  bow,  one 
foot  shuffled  forward,  as  if  to  advance,  the  other  backward, 
as  if  with  the  purpose  of  escape ;  and  as  he  undid  the  cape  of 
his  coat,  and  raised  his  beaver  from  his  face,  his  fingers  fum- 
bled as  if  the  one  had  been  linked  with  rusted  iron,  or  the 
other  had  weighed  equal  with  a  stone  of  lead.  The  darkness 
of  the  sky  seemed  to  increase,  as  if  to  supply  the  want  of  those 


132  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

mufflings  which  he  laid  aside  with  such  evident  reluctance. 
The  impatience  of  Ravenswood  increased  also  in  proportion 
to  the  delay  of  the  stranger,  and  he  appeared  to  struggle  under 
agitation,  though  probably  from  a  very  different  cause.  He 
laboured  to  restrain  his  desire  to  speak,  while  the  stranger,  to 
all  appearance,  was  at  a  loss  for  words  to  express  what  he  felt 
necessary  to  say. 

At  length  Ravens  wood's  impatience  broke  the  bounds  he 
had  imposed  upon  it.  "  I  perceive, "  he  said,  "  that  Sir  Wil- 
liam Ashton  is  unwilling  to  announce  himself  in  the  Castle  of 
Wolf's  Crag." 

"  I  had  hoped  it  was  umiecessary, "  said  the  Lord  Keeper, 
relieved  from  his  silence,  as  a  spectre  by  the  voice  of  the 
exorcist,  "  and  I  am  obliged  to  you.  Master  of  Ravenswood, 
for  breaking  the  ice  at  once,  where  circumstances — unhappy 
circumstances,  let  me  call  them — rendered  self-introduction 
peculiarly  awkward. " 

"  And  I  am  not  then, "  said  the  Master  of  Ravenswood, 
gravely,  "  to  consider  the  honour  of  this  visit  as  purely  acci- 
dental?" 

"  Let  us  distinguish  a  little, "  said  the  Keeper,  assuming  an 
appearance  of  ease  which  perhaps  his  heart  was  a  stranger 
to ;  '^  this  is  an  honour  which  I  have  eagerly  desired  for  some 
time,  but  which  I  might  never  have  obtained,  save  for  the 
accident  of  the  storm.  My  daughter  and  I  are  alike  grateful 
for  this  opportunity  of  thanking  the  brave  man  to  whom  she 
owes  her  life  and  I  mine." 

The  hatred  which  divided  the  great  families  in  the  feudal 
times  had  lost  little  of  its  bitterness,  though  it  no  longer 
expressed  itself  in  deeds  of  open  violence,  ^ot  the  feelings 
which  Ravenswood  had  begun  to  entertain  towards  Lucy  Ash- 
ton, not  the  hospitality  due  to  his  guests,  were  able  entirely 
to  subdue,  though  they  warmly  combated,  the  deep  passions 
which  arose  within  him  at  beholding  his  father's  foe  standing 
in  the  hall  of  the  family  of  which  he  had  in  a  great  measure 
accelerated  the  ruin.  His  looks  glanced  from  the  father  to 
the  daughter  Avith  an  irresolution  of  which  Sir  William  Ash- 
ton did  not  think  it  proper  to  await  the  conclusion.     He  had 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  133 

now  disembarrassed  himself  of  his  riding-dress,  and  walking 
up  to  his  daughter,  he  undid  the  fastening  of  her  mask. 

"  Lucy,  my  love, "  he  said,  raising  her  and  leading  her  tow- 
ards Ravenswood,  "  lay  aside  your  mask,  and  let  us  express 
our  gratitude  to  the  Master  openly  and  barefaced." 

"  If  he  will  condescend  to  accept  it, "  was  all  that  Lucy  ut- 
tered; but  in  a  tone  so  sweetly  modulated,  and  which  seemed 
to  imply  at  once  a  feeling  and  a  forgiving  of  the  cold  recep- 
tion to  which  they  were  exposed,  that,  coming  from  a  creature 
so  innocent  and  so  beautiful,  her  words  cut  Ravenswood  to  the 
very  heart  for  his  harshness.  He  muttered  something  of  sur- 
prise, something  of  confusion,  and,  ending  with  a  warm  and 
eager  expression  of  his  happiness  at  being  able  to  afford  her 
shelter  mider  his  roof,  he  saluted  her,  as  the  ceremonial  of  the 
time  enjoined  upon  such  occasions.  Their  cheeks  had  touched 
and  were  withdraAvn  from  each  other;  Ravenswood  had  not 
quitted  the  hand  which  he  had  taken  in  kindly  courtesy ;  a 
blush,  which  attached  more  consequence  by  far  than  was 
usual  to  such  ceremony,  still  mantled  on  Lucy  Ashton's  beau- 
tiful cheek,  when  the  apartment  was  suddenly  illuminated  by 
a  flash  of  lightning,  which  seemed  absolutely  to  swallow  the 
darkness  of  the  hall.  Every  object  might  have  been  for  an 
instant  seen  distinctly.  The  slight  and  half-sinking  form  of 
Lucy  Ashton;  the  well-proportioned  and  stately  figure  of  Ra- 
venswood, his  dark  features,  and  the  fiery  yet  irresolute  ex- 
pression of  his  eyes ;  the  old  arms  and  scutcheons  which  hung 
on  the  walls  of  the  apartment,  were  for  an  instant  distinctly 
visible  to  the  Keeper  by  a  strong  red  brilliant  glare  of  light. 
Its  disappearance  was  almost  instantly  followed  by  a  burst  of 
thunder,  for  the  storm-cloud  was  very  near  the "  castle ;  and 
the  peal  was  so  sudden  and  dreadful,  that  the  old  tower  rocked 
to  its  foundation,  and  every  inmate  concluded  it  was  falling 
upon  them.  The  soot,  which  had  not  been  disturbed  for  cen- 
turies, showered  down  the  huge  tunnelled  chimneys;  lime 
and  dust  flew  in  clouds  from  the  wall;  and,  whether  the 
lightning  had  actually  struck  the  castle  or  whether  through 
the  violent  concussion  of  the  air,  several  heavy  stones  were 
hurled  from  the  mouldering  battlements  into  the  roaring  sea 


134  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

beneath.  It  might  seem  as  if  the  ancient  founder  of  the 
castle  were  bestriding  the  thunderstorm,  and  proclaiming  his 
displeasure  at  the  reconciliation  of  his  descendant  with  the 
enemy  of  his  house. 

The  consternation  was  general,  and  it  required  the  efforts 
of  both  the  Lord  Keeper  and  Ravenswood  to  keep  Lucy  from 
fainting.  Thus  was  the  Master  a  second  time  engaged  in  the 
most  delicate  and  dangerous  of  all  tasks,  that  of  affording 
support  and  assistance  to  a  beautiful  and  helpless  being,  who, 
as  seen  before  in  a  similar  situation,  had  already  become  a 
favourite  of  his  imagination,  both  when  awake  and  when 
slumbering.  If  the  genius  of  the  house  really  condemned  a 
union  betwixt  the  Master  and  his  fair  guest,  the  means  by 
which  he  expressed  his  sentiments  were  as  unhappily  chosen 
as  if  he  had  been  a  mere  mortal.  The  train  of  little  atten- 
tions, absolutely  necessary  to  soothe  the  young  lady's  mind, 
and  aid  her  in  composing  her  spirits,  necessarily  threw  the 
Master  of  Ravenswood  into  such  an  intercourse  with  her  fa- 
ther as  was  calculated,  for  the  moment  at  least,  to  break 
down  the  barrier  of  feudal  enemity  which  divided  them.  To 
express  himself  churlishly,  or  even  coldly,  towards  an  old 
man  whose  daughter  (and  such  a  daughter)  lay  before  them, 
overpowered  with  natural  terror — and  all  this  under  his  own 
roof —the  thing  was  impossible;  and  by  the  time  that  Lucy, 
extending  a  hand  to  each,  was  able  to  thank  them  for  their 
kindness,  the  Master  felt  that  his  sentiments  of  hostility  tow- 
ards the  Lord  Keeper  were  by  no  means  those  most  predomi- 
nant in  his  bosom. 

The  weather,  her  state  of  health,  the  absence  of  her  atten- 
dants, all  prevented  the  possibility  of  Lucy  Ashton  renewing 
her  journey  to  Bittlebrains  House,  which  was  full  five  miles 
distant;  and  the  Master  of  Ravenswood  could  not  but,  in 
common  courtesy,  offer  the  shelter  of  his  roof  for  the  rest  of 
the  day  and  for  the  night.  But  a  flush  of  less  soft  expres- 
sion, a  look  much  more  habitual  to  his  features,  resumed  pre- 
dominance when  he  mentioned  how  meanly  he  was  provided 
for  the  entertainment  of  his  guests. 

^'  Po  not  mention  deficiencies, "  said  the  Lord  Keeper,  eager 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  135 

to  interrupt  him  and  prevent  his  resuming  an  alarming  topic ; 
"you  are  preparing  to  set  out  for  the  Continent,  and  your 
house  is  probably  for  the  present  unfurnished.  All  this  we 
understand ;  but  if  you  mention  inconvenience,  you  will  oblige 
us  to  seek  accommodations  in  the  hamlet." 

As  the  Master  of  Ravenswood  was  about  to  reply,  the  door 
of  the  hall  opened,  and  Caleb  Balderstone  rushed  in. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

Let  them  have  meat  enough,  woman — half  a  hen  ; 
There  be  old  rotten  pilchards — put  them  off  too  ; 
'Tis  but  a  little  new  anointing  of  them, 
And  a  strong  onion,  that  confounds  the  savour. 

Lovers  Pilgrimage. 

The  thunderbolt,  which  had  stunned  all  who  were  within 
hearing  of  it,  had  only  served  to  awaken  the  bold  and  inven- 
tive genius  of  the  flower  of  majors-domo.  Almost  before  the 
clatter  had  ceased,  and  while  there  was  yet  scarce  an  assur- 
ance whether  the  castle  was  standing  or  falling,  Caleb  ex- 
claimed, "Heaven  be  praised!  this  comes  to  hand  like  the 
boul  of  a  pint-stoup."  He  then  barred  the  kitchen  door  in 
the  face  of  the  Lord  Keeper's  servant,  whom  he  perceived 
returning  from  the  party  at  the  gate,  and  muttering,  "  How 
the  deil  cam  he  in? — but  deil  may  care.  Mysie,  what  are 
ye  sitting  shaking  and  greeting  in  the  chimney-neuk  for? 
Come  here — or  stay  where  ye  are,  and  skirl  as  loud  as  ye  can ; 
it's  a'  ye' re  gude  for.  I  say,  ye  auld  deevil,  skirl — skirl — 
louder^louder,  woman;  gar  the  gentles  hear  ye  in  the  ha'.  I 
have  heard  ye  as  far  off  as  the  Bass  for  a  less  matter.  And 
stay — down  wi'  that  crockery " 

And  with  a  sweeping  blow,  he  threw  down  from  a  shelf  some 
articles  of  pewter  and  earthenware.  He  exalted  his  voice  amid 
the  clatter,  shouting  and  roaring  in  a  manner  which  changed 
Mysie' s  hysterical  terrors  of  the  thunder  into  fears  that  her 
old  fellow-servant  was  gone  distracted.  "  He  has  dung  down 
a'  the  bits  o'  pigs,  too — the  only  thing  we  had  left  to  hand  a 


136  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

soup  milk — and  he  has  spilt  the  hatted  kit  that  was  for  the 
Master's  dinner.  Mercy  save  us,  the  auld  man's  gaen  clean 
and  clear  wud  wi'  the  thunner!" 

"Hand  your  tongue,  ye  b !"  said  Caleb,  in  the  impetu- 
ous and  overbearing  triumph  of  successful  invention,  "  a's  pro- 
vided now — dinner  and  a' thing;  the  thunner's  done  a'  in  a 
clap  of  a  hand!" 

"Puir  man,  he's  muckle  astray,"  said  Mysie,  looking  at 
him  with  a  mixture  of  pity  and  alarm ;  "I  wish  he  may  ever 
come  hame  to  himsell  again." 

"  Here,  ye  auld  doited  deevil, "  said  Caleb,  still  exulting  in 
his  extrication  from  a  dilemma  which  had  seemed  insurmount- 
able ;  "  keep  the  strange  man  out  of  the  kitchen ;  swear  the 
thunner  came  down  the  chimney  and  spoiled  the  best  dinner 
ye  ever  dressed — beef — bacon — kid — lark — leveret — wild-fowl 
— venison,  and  what  not.  Lay  it  on  thick,  and  never  mind 
expenses.  I'll  awa'  up  to  the  ha'.  Make  a'  the  confusion 
ye  can ;  but  be  sure  ye  keep  out  the  strange  servant. " 

With  these  charges  to  his  ally,  Claleb  posted  up  to  the 
hall,  but  stopping  to  reconnoitre  through  an  aperture,  which 
time,  for  the  convenience  of  many  a  domestic  in  succession, 
had  made  in  the  door,  and  perceiving  the  situation  of  Miss 
Ashton,  he  had  prudence  enough  to  make  a  pause,  both  to 
avoid  adding  to  her  alarm  and  in  order  to  secure  attention  to 
his  account  of  the  disastrous  effects  of  the  thunder. 

But  when  he  perceived  that  the  lady  was  recovered,  and 
heard  the  conversation  turn  upon  the  accommodation  and  re- 
freshment which  the  castle  afforded,  he  thought  it  time  to 
burst  into  the  room  in  the  manner  announced  in  the  last 
chapter. 

^'  Willawins ! — willawins !  Such  a  misfortune  to  befa'  the 
house  of  Eavenswood,  and  I  to  live  to  see  it." 

"What  is  the  matter,  Caleb?"  said  his  master,  somewhat 
alarmed  in  his  turn;  "has  any  part  of  the  castle  fallen?" 

"Castle  fa'an!  na,  but  the  sute's  fa'an,  and  the  thunner's 
come  right  down  the  kitchen-lum,  and  the  things  are  a'  lying 
here  awa',  there  awa',  like  the  Laird  o'  Hotchpotch's  lands; 
and  wi'  brave  guests  of  honour  and  quality  to  entertain  (a 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  137 

low  bow  here  to  Sir  William  Ashton  and  his  daughter),  and 
naething  left  in  the  house  fit  to  present  for  dinner,  or  for 
supper  either,  for  aught  that  I  can  see!" 

"  I  verily  believe  you,  Caleb, "  said  Ravenswood,  drily. 

Baldertstone  here  turned  to  his  master  a  half -upbraiding, 
half-imploring  countenance,  and  edged  towards  him  as  he  re- 
peated, "It  was  nae  great  matter  of  preparation;  but  just 
something  added  to  your  honour's  ordinary  course  of  fare — 
fetty  cover ^  as  they  say  at  the  Louvre — three  courses  and  the 
fruit." 

"Keep  your  intolerable  nonsense  to  yourself,  you  old  fool!" 
said  Ravenswood,  mortified  at  his  officiousness,  yet  not  know- 
ing how  to  contradict  him,  without  the  risk  of  giving  rise  to 
scenes  yet  more  ridiculous. 

Caleb  saw  his  advantage,  and  resolved  to  improve  it.  But 
first,  observing  that  the  Lord  Keeper's  servant  entered  the 
apartment  and  spoke  apart  with  his  master,  he  took  the  same 
opportunity  to  whisper  a  few  words  into  Ravenswood's  ear: 
"  Hand  your  tongue,  for  heaven's  sake,  sir;  if  it's  my  pleas- 
ure to  hazard  my  soul  in  telling  lees  for  the  honour  of  the 
family,  it's  nae  business  o'  yours ;  and  if  ye  let  me  gang  on 
quietly,  I'se  be  moderate  in  my  banquet;  but  if  ye  contra- 
dict me,  deil  but  I  dress  ye  a  dinner  fit  for  a  duke!" 

Ravenswood,  in  fact,  thought  it  would  be  best  to  let  his 
officious  butler  run  on,  who  proceeded  to  enumerate  upon  his 
fingers — "  No  muckle  provision — might  hae  served  four  per- 
sons of  honour, — first  course,  capons  in  white  broth — roast 
kid — bacon  with  reverence ;  second  course,  roasted  leveret — 
butter  crabs — a  veal  florentine;  third  course,  blackcock — it's 
black  eneugh  now  wi'  the  sute — plumdamas — a  tart — a  flam — 
and  some  nonsense  sweet  things,  and  comfits — and  that's  a'," 
he  said,  seeing  the  impatience  of  his  master — "that's  just  a' 
was  o't — forbye  the  apples  and  pears." 

Miss  Ashton  had  by  degrees  gathered  her  spirits,  so  far  as 
to  pay  some  attention  to  what  was  going  on ;  and  observing 
the  restrained  impatience  of  Ravenswood,  contrasted  with  the 
peculiar  determination  of  manner  with  which  Caleb  detailed 
his  imaginary  banquet,  the  whole  struck  her  as  so  ridiculous 


138  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

that,  despite  every  effort  to  the  contrary,  she  burst  into  a  fit 
of  incontrollable  laughter,  in  which  she  was  joined  by  her 
father,  though  with  more  moderation,  and  finally  by  the  Mas- 
ter of  Ravens  wood  himself,  though  conscious  that  the  jest  was 
at  his  own  expense.  Their  mirth — for  a  scene  which  we  read 
with  little  emotion  often  appears  extremely  ludicrous  to  the 
spectators — made  the  old  vault  ring  again.  They  ceased — 
they  renewed^ — they  ceased — they  renewed  again  their  shouts 
of  laughter!  Caleb,  in  the  mean  time,  stood  his  ground  with 
a  grave,  angry,  and  scornful  dignity,  which  greatly  enhanced 
the  ridicule  of  the  scene  and  mirth  of  the  spectators. 

At  length,  when  the  voices,  and  nearly  the  strength,  of  the 
laughers  were  exhausted,  he  exclaimed,  with  very  little  cere- 
mony: "The  deil's  in  the  gentles!  they  breakfast  sae  lordly, 
that  the  loss  of  the  best  dinner  ever  cook  pat  fingers  to  makes 
them  as  merry  as  if  it  were  the  best  jeest  in  a'  George  Bu- 
chanan.' If  there  was  as  little  in  your  honours'  wames  as 
there  is  in  Caleb  Balderstone's,  less  caickling  wad  serve  ye 
on  sic  a  gravaminous  subject." 

Caleb's  blunt  expression  of  resentment  again  awakened  the 
mirth  of  the  company,  which,  by  the  way,  he  regarded  not 
only  as  an  aggression  upon  the  dignity  of  the  family,  but  a 
special  contempt  of  the  eloquence  with  which  he  himself  had 
summed  up  the  extent  of  their  supposed  losses.  "  A  descrip- 
tion of  a  dinner, "  as  he  said  afterwards  to  Mysie,  "  that  wad 
hae  made  a  fu'  man  hungry,  and  them  to  sit  there  laughing 
at  it!" 

"But,"  said  Miss  Ashton,  composing  her  countenance  as 
well  as  she  could,  "  are  all  these  delicacies  so  totally  destroyed 
that  no  scrap  can  be  collected?" 

"  Collected,  my  leddy !  what  wad  ye  collect  out  of  the  sute 
and  the  ass?  Ye  may  gang  down  yoursell,  and  look  into  our 
kitchen — the  cookmaid  in  the  trembling  exies — the  gude  vi- 
vers  lying  a'  about — beef,  capons,  and  white  broth — floren- 
tine  and  flams — bacon  wi'  reverence — and  a'  the  sweet  con- 
fections and  whim-whams — ye'll  see  them  a',  my  leddy — that 
is,"  said  he,  correcting  himself,  "ye'll  no  see  ony  of  them 
1  See  George  Buchanan's  Jests.    Note  4. 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  139 

now,  for  the  cook  has  soopit  them  up,  as  was  weel  her  part; 
but  ye'll  see  the  white  broth  where  it  was  spilt.  I  pat  my 
fingers  in  it,  and  it  tastes  as  like  sour  milk  as  ony  thing  else; 
if  that  isna  the  effect  of  thunner,  I  kenna  what  is.  This 
gentleman  here  couldna  but  hear  the  clash  of  our  haill  dishes, 
china  and  silver  thegither?" 

The  Lord  Keeper's  domestic,  though  a  statesman's  attend- 
ant, and  of  course  trained  to  command  his  countenance  upon 
all  occasions,  was  somewhat  discomposed  by  this  appeal,  to 
which  he  only  answered  by  a  bow. 

"  I  think,  Mr.  Butler, "  said  the  Lord  Keeper,  who  began  to 
be  afraid  lest  the  prolongation  of  this  scene  should  at  length 
displease  Ravenswood — "  I  think  that,  were  you  to  retire  with 
my  servant  Lockhard — he  has  travelled,  and  is  quite  accus- 
tomed to  accidents  and  contingencies  of  every  kind,  and  I 
hope  betwixt  you,  you  may  find  out  some  mode  of  supply  at 
this  emergency." 

"His  honour  kens,"  said  Caleb,  who,  however  hopeless  of 
himself  of  accomplishing  what  was  desirable,  would,  like  the 
high-spirited  elephant,  rather  have  died  in  the  effort  than 
brooked  the  aid  of  a  brother  in  commission — "his  honour 
kens  weel  I  need  nae  counsellor,  when  the  honour  of  the 
house  is  concerned." 

"I  should  be  unjust  if  I  denied  it,  Caleb,"  said  his  master; 
"  but  your  art  lies  chiefly  in  making  apologies,  upon  which  we 
can  no  more  dine  than  upon  the  bill  of  fare  of  our  thunder- 
blasted  dinner.  Now,  possibly  Mr.  Lockhard' s  talent  may  con- 
sist in  finding  some  substitute  for  that  which  certainly  is  not, 
and  has  in  all  probability  never  been." 

"Your  honour  is  pleased  to  be  facetious,"  said  Caleb, 
"but  I  am  sure  that,  for  the  warst,  for  a  walk  as  far  as 
Wolf's  Hope,  I  could  dine  forty  men — no  that  the  folk 
there  deserve  your  honour's  custom.  They  hae  been  ill 
advised  in  the  matter  of  the  duty  eggs  and  butter,  I  winna 
deny  that," 

"Do  go  consult  together,"  said  the  Master;  "go  down  to 
the  village,  and  do  the  best  you  can.  V :.  must  not  let  our 
guests  remain  without  refreshment,  to  save  the  honour  of  a 


140  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

ruined  family.  And  here,  Caleb,  take  my  purse;  I  believe 
that  will  prove  your  best  ally." 

"Purse!  purse,  indeed!"  quoth  Caleb,  indignantly  flinging 
out  of  the  room;  "what  suld  I  do  wi'  your  honour's  purse,  on 
your  ain  grund?     I  trust  we  are  no  to  pay  for  our  ain?" 

The  servants  left  the  hall ;  and  the  door  was  no  sooner  shut 
than  the  Lord  Keeper  began  to  apologise  for  the  rudeness  of 
his  mirth ;  and  Lucy  to  hope  she  had  given  no  pain  or  offence 
to  the  kind-hearted  faithful  old  man. 

"Caleb  and  I  must  both  learn,  madam,  to  undergo  with 
good  humour,  or  at  least  with  patience,  the  ridicule  which 
everywhere  attaches  itself  to  poverty." 

"  You  do  yourself  injustice.  Master  of  Ravenswood,  on  my 
my  word  of  honour, "  answered  his  elder  guest.  "  I  believe 
I  know  more  of  your  affairs  than  you  do  yourself,  and  I  hope 
to  show  you  that  I  am  interested  in  them ;  and  that — in  short, 
that  your  prospects  are  better  than  you  apprehend.  In  the 
mean  time,  I  can  conceive  nothing  so  respectable  as  the  spirit 
which  rises  above  misfortune,  and  prefers  honourable  priva- 
tions to  debt  or  dependence." 

Whether  from  fear  of  offending  the  delicacy  or  awakening 
the  pride  of  the  Master,  the  Lord  Keeper  made  these  allu- 
sions with  an  appearance  of  fearful  and  hesitating  reserve, 
and  seemed  to  be  afraid  that  he  was  intruding  too  far,  in  ven- 
turing to  touch,  however  lightly,  upon  such  a  topic,  even  when 
the  Master  had  led  to  it.  In  short,  he  appeared  at  once 
pushed  on  by  his  desire  of  appearing  friendly,  and  held  back 
by  the  fear  of  intrusion.  It  was  no  wonder  that  the  Master 
of  Ravenswood,  little  acquainted  as  he  then  was  with  life, 
should  have  given  this  consummate  courtier  credit  for  more 
sincerity  than  was  probably  to  be  found  in  a  score  of  his  cast. 
He  answered,  however,  with  reserve,  that  he  was  indebted  to 
all  who  might  think  well  of  him;  and,  apologising  to  his 
guests,  he  left  the  hall,  in  order  to  make  such  arrangements 
for  their  entertainment  as  circumstancess  admitted. 

Upon  consulting  with  old  Mysie,  the  accommodations  for 
the  night  were  easily  completed,  as  indeed  they  admitted  of 
little  choice.     The  Master  surrendered  his  apartment  for  the 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  141 

use  of  Miss  Ash  ton,  and  Mysie,  once  a  person  of  consequence, 
dressed  in  a  black  satin  gown  which  had  belonged  of  yore  to 
the  Master's  grandmother,  and  had  figured  in  the  court-balls 
of  Henrietta  Maria,  went  to  attend  her  as  lady's-maid.  He 
next  inquired  after  Bucklaw,  and  understanding  he  was  at  the 
change-house  with  the  huntsmen  and  some  companions,  he  de- 
sired Caleb  to  call  there,  and  acquaint  him  how  he  was  circum- 
stanced at  Wolf's  Crag;  to  intimate  to  him  that  it  would  be 
most  convenient  it  he  could  find  a  bed  in  the  hamlet,  as  the  elder 
guest  must  necessarily  be  quartered  in  the  secret  chamber,  the 
only  spare  bedroom  which  could  be  made  fit  to  receive  him. 
The  Master  saw  no  hardship  in  passing  the  night  by  the  hall 
fire,  wrapt  in  his  campaign-cloak;  and  to  Scottish  domestics 
of  the  day,  even  of  the  highest  rank,  nay,  to  young  men  of 
family  or  fashion,  on  any  pinch,  clean  straw,  or  a  dry  hay- 
loft, was  always  held  good  night-quarters. 

For  the  rest,  Lockhard  had  his  master's  orders  to  bring 
some  venison  from  the  inn,  and  Caleb  was  to  trust  to  his  wits 
for  the  honour  of  his  family.  The  Master,  indeed,  a  second 
time  held  out  his  purse ;  but,  as  it  was  in  sight  of  the  strange 
servant,  the  butler  thought  himself  obliged  to  decline  what 
his  fingers  itched  to  clutch.  "  Couldna  he  hae  slippit  it  gently 
into  my  hand?"  said  Caleb;  "  but  his  honour  will  never  learn 
how  to  bear  himsell  in  siccan  cases." 

Mysie,  in  the  mean  time,  according  to  a  uniform  custom  in 
remote  places  in  Scotland,  offered  the  strangers  the  produce  of 
her  little  dairy,  "  while  better  meat  was  getting  ready."  And 
according  to  another  custom,  not  yet  wholly  in  desuetude,  as  the 
storm  was  now  drifting  off  to  leeward,  the  Master  carried  the 
Keeper  to  the  top  of  his  highest  tower  to  admire  a  wide  and 
waste  extent  of  view,  and  to  "weary  for  his  dinner." 


142  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 


CHAPTEE    XII. 

Now  dame,"  quoth  he,  "Je  vous  dis  sans  doute, 

Had  I  nought  of  a  capon  but  the  liver, 

And  of  your  white  bread  nought  but  a  shiver, 

And  after  that  a  roasted  pigge's  head 

(But  I  ne  wold  for  me  no  beast  were  dead), 

Then  had  I  with  you  homely  sufferaunce." 

Chaucer,  Sumner's  Tale. 

It  was  not  without  some  secret  misgivings  that  Caleb  set  out 
upon  his  exploratory  expedition.  In  fact,  it  was  attended 
with  a  treble  difficulty.  He  dared  not  tell  his  master  the 
offence  which  he  had  that  morning  given  to  Bucklaw,  just  for 
the  honour  of  the  family;  he  dared  not  acknowledge  he  had 
been  too  hasty  in  refusing  the  purse;  and,  thirdly,  he  was 
somewhat  apprehensive  of  unpleasant  consequences  upon  his 
meeting  Hayston  under  the  impression  of  an  affront,  and 
probably  by  this  time  under  the  influence  also  of  no  small 
quantity  of  brandy. 

Caleb,  to  do  him  justice,  was  as  bold  as  any  lion  where  the 
honour  of  the  family  of  Ravenswood  was  concerned;  but  his 
was  that  considerate  valour  which  does  not  delight  in  unnec- 
essary risks.  This,  however,  was  a  secondary  consideration ; 
the  main  point  was  to  veil  the  indigence  of  the  housekeeping 
at  the  castle,  and  to  make  good  his  vaunt  of  the  cheer  which 
his  resources  could  procure,  without  Lockhard's  assistance, 
and  without  supplies  from  his  master.  This  was  as  prime  a 
point  of  honour  with  him  as  with  the  generous  elephant  with 
whom  we  have  already  compared  him,  who,  being  overtasked, 
broke  his  skull  through  the  desperate  exertions  which  he  made 
to  discharge  his  duty,  when  he  perceived  they  were  bringing 
up  another  to  his  assistance. 

The  village  which  they  now  approached  had  frequently  af- 
forded the  distressed  butler  resources  upon  similar  emergen- 
cies ;  but  his  relations  with  it  had  been  of  late  much  altered. 

It  was  a  little  hamlet  which  straggled  along  the  side  of  a 
creek  formed  by  the  discharge  of  a  small  brook  into  the  sea, 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  143 

and  was  hidden  from  the  castle,  to  which  it  had  been  in  for- 
mer times  an  appendage,  by  the  intervention  of  the  shoulder 
of  a  hill  forming  a  projecting  headland.  It  was  called  Wolffs 
Hope  {i.e.  Wolf's  Haven),  and  the  few  inhabitants  gained  a 
precarious  subsistence  by  manning  two  or  three  fishing-boats 
in  the  herring  season,  and  smuggling  gin  and  brandy  during 
the  winter  months.  They  paid  a  kind  of  hereditary  respect 
to  the  Lords  of  Ravens  wood;  but,  in  the  difiiculties  of  the 
family,  most  of  the  inhabitants  of  Wolf's  Hope  had  contrived 
to  get  feu-rights  to  their  little  possessions,  their  huts,  kail- 
yards, and  rights  of  commonty,  so  that  they  were  emanci- 
pated from  the  chains  of  feudal  dependence,  and  free  from 
the  various  exactions  with  which,  under  every  possible  pre- 
text, or  without  any  pretext  at  all,  the  Scottish  landlords  of 
the  period,  themselves  in  great  poverty,  were  wont  to  harass 
their  still  poorer  tenants  at  will.  They  might  be,  on  the 
whole,  termed  independent,  a  circumstance  peculiarly  galling 
to  Caleb,  who  had  been  wont  to  exercise  over  them  the  same 
sweeping  authority  in  lev3dng  contributions  which  was  exer- 
cised in  former  times  in  England,  when  "  the  royal  purveyors, 
sallying  forth  from  under  the  Gothic  portcullis  to  purchase 
provisions  with  power  and  prerogative,  instead  of  money, 
brought  home  the  plunder  of  an  hundred  markets,  and  all 
that  could  be  seized  from  a  flying  and  hiding  country,  and 
deposited  their  spoil  in  an  hundred  caverns."  ' 

Caleb  loved  the  memory  and  resented  the  downfall  of  that 
authority,  which  mimicked,  on  a  petty  scale,  the  grand  con- 
tributions exacted  by  the  feudal  sovereigns.  And  as  he  fondly 
flattered  himself  that  the  awful  rule  and  right  supremacy, 
which  assigned  to  the  Barons  of  Ravenswood  the  first  and 
most  effective  interest  in  all  productions  of  nature  within  five 
miles  of  their  castle,  only  slumbered,  and  was  not  departed 
for  ever,  he  used  every  now  and  then  to  give  the  recollection 
of  the  inhabitants  a  little  jog  by  some  petty  exaction.  These 
were  at  first  submitted  to,  with  more  or  less  readiness,  by  the 
inhabitants  of  the  hamlet ;  for  they  had  been  so  long  used  to 
consider  the  wants  of  the  Baron  and  his  family  as  having  a 
1  Burke's  Speech  on  Economical  Beforin :   Works,  vol.  iii.  p.  250. 


144  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

title  to  be  preferred  to  their  own,  that  their  actual  indepen- 
dence did  not  convey  to  them  an  immediate  sense  of  freedom. 
They  resembled  a  man  that  has  been  long  fettered,  who,  even 
at  liberty,  feels  in  imagination  the  grasp  of  the  handcuffs  still 
binding  his  wrists.  But  the  exercise  of  freedom  is  quickly 
followed  with  the  natural  consciousness  of  its  immunities,  as 
the  enlarged  prisoner,  by  the  free  use  of  his  limbs,  soon  dis- 
pels the  cramped  feeling  they  had  acquired  when  bound. 

The  inhabitants  of  Wolf's  Hope  began  to  grumble,  to  re- 
sist, and  at  length  positively  to  refuse  compliance  with  the 
exactions  of  Caleb  Balderstone.  It  was  in  vain  he  reminded 
them,  that  when  the  eleventh  Lord  Kavenswood,  called  the 
Skipper,  from  his  delight  in  naval  matters,  had  encouraged 
the  trade  of  their  port  by  building  the  pier  (a  bulwark  of 
stones  rudely  piled  together),  which  protected'  the  fishing- 
boats  from  the  weather,  it  had  been  matter  of  understanding 
that  he  was  to  have  the  first  stone  of  butter  after  the  calving 
of  every  cow  within  the  barony,  and  the  first  egg,  thence 
called  the  Monday's  egg,  laid  by  every  hen  on  every  Monday 
in  the  year. 

The  feuars  heard  and  scratched  their  heads,  coughed, 
sneezed,  and  being  pressed  for  answer,  rejoined  with,  one 
voice,  "  They  could  not  say" — the  universal  refuge  of  a  Scot- 
tish peasant  when  pressed  to  admit  a  claim  which  his  conscience 
owns,  or  perhaps  his  feelings,  and  his  interest  inclines  him 
to  deny. 

Caleb,  however,  furnished  the  notables  of  Wolf's  Hope 
with  a  note  of  the  requisition  of  butter  and  eggs,  which  he 
claimed  as  arrears  of  the  aforesaid  subsidy,  or  kindly  aid, 
payable  as  above  mentioned ;  and  having  intimated  that  he 
would  not  be  averse  to  compound  the  same  for  goods  or 
money,  if  it  was  inconvenient  to  them  to  pay  in  kind,  left 
them,  as  he  hoped,  to  debate  the  mode  of  assessing  themselves 
for  that  purpose.  .On  the  contrary,  they  met  with  a  deter- 
mined purpose  of  resisting  the  exaction,  and  were  only  unde- 
cided as  to  the  mode  of  grounding  their  opposition,  when  the 
cooper,  a  very  important  person  on  a  fishing-station,  and  one 
pf  the  conscript  fathers  of  the  village,  observed,  "  That  their 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  145 

hens  had  caickled  mony  a  day  for  the  Lords  of  Ravenswood, 
and  it  was  time  they  suld  caickje  for  those  that  gave  them 
roosts  and  barley.^'  An  unanimous  grin  intimated  the  assent 
of  the  assembly.  "And,"  continued  the  orator,  "if  it's  your 
wull,  I'll  just  tak  a  step  as  far  as  Dunse  for  Davie  Dingwall, 
the  writer,  that's  come  frae  the  North  to  settle  amang  us,  and 
he'll  pit  this  job  to  rights,  I'se  warrant  him." 

A  day  was  accordingly  fixed  for  holding  a  grand  palaver  at 
Wolf's  Hope  on  the  subject  of  Caleb's  requisitions,  and  he 
was  invited  to  attend  at  the  hamlet  for  that  purpose. 

He  went  with  open  hands  and  empty  stomach,  trusting  to 
fill  the  one  on  his  master's  account  and  the  other  on  his  own 
score,  at  the  expense  of  the  feuars  of  Wolf's  Hope.  But, 
death  to  his  hopes!  as  he  entered  the  eastern  end  of  the 
straggling  village,  the  awful  form  of  Davie  Dingwall,  a  sly, 
dry,  hard-fisted,  shrewd  country  attorney,  who  had  already 
acted  against  the  family  of  Ravenswood,  and  was  a  principal 
agent  of  Sir  William  Ashton,  trotted  in  at  the  western  ex- 
tremity, bestriding  a  leathern  portmanteau  stuffed  with  the 
feu-charters  of  the  hamlet,  and  hoping  he  had  not  kept  Mr. 
Balderstone  waiting,  "as  he  was  instructed  and  fully  em- 
powered to  pay  or  receive,  compound  or  compensate,  and,  in 
fine,  to  age  as  accords,  respecting  all  mutual  and  unsettled 
claims  whatsoever,  belonging  or  competent  to  the  Honourable 
Edgar  Ravenswood,  commonly  called  the  Master  of  Ravens- 
wood  " 

"The  Right  Honourable  Edgar  Lord  Ravenswood,^^  said 
Caleb,  with  great  emphasis;  for,  though  conscious  he  had 
little  chance  of  advantage  in  the  conflict  to  ensue,  he  was 
resolved  not  to  sacrifice  one  jot  of  honour. 

"  Lord  Ravenswood,  then, "  said  the  man  of  business — "  we 
shall  not  quarrel  with  you  about  titles  of  courtesy — com- 
monly called  Lord  Ravenswood,  or  Master  of  Ravenswood, 
heritable  proprietor  of  the  lands  and  barony  of  Wolf's  Crag, 
on  othe  ne  part,  and  to  John  Whitefish  and  others,  feuars  in 
the  town  of  Wolf's  Hope,  within  the  barony  aforesaid,  on  the 
other  part." 

Caleb  was  conscious,  from  sad  experience,  that  he  would 
10 


146  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

wage  a  very  different  strife  with  this  mercenary  champion 
than  with  the  individual  feuars  themselves,  upon  whose  old 
recollections,  predilections,  and  habits  of  thinking  he  might 
have  wrought  by  an  hundred  indirect  arguments,  to  which 
their  deputy-representative  was  totally  insensible.  The  issue 
of  the  debate  proved  the  reality  of  his  apprehensions.  It  was 
in  vain  he  strained  his  eloquence  and  ingenuity,  and  collected 
into  one  mass  all  arguments  arising  from  antique  custom  and 
hereditary  respect,  from  the  good  deeds  done  by  the  Lords 
of  Eavenswood  to  the  community  of  Wolf's  Hope  in  former 
days,  and  from  what  might  be  expected  from  them  in  future. 
The  writer  stuck  to  the  contents  of  his  feu-charters ;  he  could 
not  see  it :  'twas  not  in  the  bond.  And  when  Caleb,  deter- 
mined to  try  what  a  little  spirit  would  do,  deprecated  the 
consequences  of  Lord  Eavenswood's  withdrawing  his  protec- 
tion from  the  burgh,  and  even  hinted  in  his  using  active 
measures  of  resentment,  the  man  of  law  sneered  in  his  face. 

"  His  clients, "  he  said,  ''  had  determined  to  do  the  best  they 
could  for  their  own  town,  and  he  thought  Lord  Kavenswood, 
since  he  was  a  lord,  might  have  enough  to  do  to  look  after  his 
own  castle.  As  to  any  threats  of  stouthrief  oppression,  by 
rule  of  thumb,  or  via  facti,  as  the  law  termed  it,  he  would 
have  Mr.  Balderstone  recollect,  that  new  times  were  not  as  old 
times ;  that  they  lived  on  the  south  of  the  Forth,  and  far  from 
the  Highlands ;  that  his  clients  thought  they  were  able  to  pro- 
tect themselves;  but  should  they  find  themselves  mistaken, 
they  would  apply  to  the  government  for  the  protection  of  a 
corporal  and  four  red-coats,  who,"  said  Mr.  Dingwall,  with  a 
grin,  "  would  be  perfectly  able  to  secure  them  against  Lord 
Kavenswood,  and  all  that  he  or  his  followers  could  do  by  the 
strong  hand." 

If  Caleb  could  have  concentrated  all  the  lightnings  of  aris- 
tocracy in  his  eye,  to  have  struck  dead  this  contemner  of  al- 
legiance and  privilege,  he  would  have  launched  them  at  his 
head,  without  respect  to  the  consequences.  As  it  was,  he  was 
compelled  to  turn  his  course  backward  to  the  castle ;  and  there 
he  remained  for  full  half  a  day  invisible  and  inaccessible  even 
to  Mysie,  sequestered  in  his  own  peculiar  dungeon,  where  he 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  147 

sat  burnishing  a  single  pewter  plate  and  whistling  "  Maggie 
Lauder"  six  hours  without  intermission. 

The  issue  of  this  unfortunate  requisition  had  shut  against 
Caleb  all  resources  which  could  be  derived  from  Wolf's  Hope 
and  its  purlieus,  the  El  Dorado,  or  Peru,  from  which,  in  all 
former  cases  of  exigence,  he  had  been  able  to  extract  some  as- 
sistance. He  had,  indeed,  in  a  manner  vowed  that  the  deil 
should  have  him,  if  ever  he  i^ut  the  print  of  his  foot  within 
its  causeway  again.  He  had  hitherto  kept  his  word;  and, 
strange  to  tell,  this  secession  had,  as  he  intended,  in  some 
degree,  the  effect  of  a  punishment  upon  the  refractory  feuars. 
Mr.  Balderstone  had  been  a  person  in  their  eyes  connected 
with  a  superior  order  of  beings,  whose  presence  used  to  grace 
their  little  festivities,  whose  advice  they  found  useful  on 
many  occasions,  and  whose  communications  gave  a  sort  of  credit 
to  their  village.  The  place,  they  acknowledged,  "  didna  look 
as  it  used  to  do,  and  should  do,  since  Mr.  Caleb  keepit  the 
castle  sae  closely ;  but  doubtless,  touching  the  eggs  and  but- 
ter, it  was  a  most  unreasonable  demand,  as  Mr.  Dingwall  had 
justly  made  manifest." 

Thus  stood  matters  betwixt  the  parties,  when  the  old  but- 
ler, though  it  was  gall  and  wormwood  to  him,  found  himseK 
obliged  either  to  acknowledge  before  a  strange  man  of  qual- 
ity, and,  what  was  much  worse,  before  that  stranger's  servant, 
the  total  inability  of  Wolf's  Crag  to  produce  a  dinner,  or  he 
must  trust  to  the  compassion  of  the  feuars  of  Wolf's  Hope. 
It  was  a  dreadful  degradation ;  but  necessity  was  equally  im- 
perious and  lawless.  With  these  feelings  he  entered  the  street 
of  the  village. 

Willing  to  shake  himself  from  his  companion  as  soon  as 
possible,  he  directed  Mr.  Lockhard  to  Luckie  Sma' trash's 
change-house,  where  a  din,  proceeding  from  the  revels  of 
Bucklaw,  Craigengelt,  and  their  party,  sounded  half-way  down 
the  street,  while  the  red  glare  from  the  window  overpowered 
the  grey  twilight  which  was  now  settling  down,  and  glimmered 
against  a  parcel  of  old  tubs,  kegs,  and  barrels,  piled  up  in  the 
cooper's  yard,  on  the  other  side  of  the  way. 

"  If  you,  Mr.  Lockhard, "  said  the  old  butler  to  his  compan- 


148  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

ion,  "  will  be  pleased  to  step  to  the  change-house  where  that 
light  comes  from,  and  where,  as  I  judge,  they  are  now  sing- 
ing 'Cauld  Kail  in  Aberdeen,'  ye  may  do  your  master's  er- 
rand about  the  venison,  and  I  will  do  mine  about  Bucklaw's 
bed,  as  I  return  frae  getting  the  rest  of  the  vivers.  It's  no 
that  the  venison  is  actually  needfu',"  he  added,  detaining  his 
colleague  by  the  button,  "  to  make  up  the  dinner ;  but  as  a 
compliment  to  the  hunters,  ye  ken;  and,  Mr.  Lockhard,  if 
they  offer  ye  a  drink  o'  yill,  or  a  cup  o'  wine,  or  a  glass  o' 
brandy,  ye'll  be  a  wise  man  to  take  it,  in  case  the  thunner 
should  hae  soured  ours  at  the  castle,  whilk  is  ower  muckle  to 
be  dreaded." 

He  then  permitted  Lockhard  to  depart;  and  with  foot  heavy 
as  lead,  and  yet  far  lighter  than  his  heart,  stepped  on  through 
the  unequal  street  of  the  straggling  village,  meditating  on 
whom  he  ought  to  make  his  first  attack.  It  was  necessary  he 
should  find  some  one  with  whom  old  acknowledged  greatness 
should  Aveigh  more  than  recent  independence,  and  to  whom 
his  application  might  appear  an  act  of  high  dignity,  relenting 
at  once  and  soothing.  But  he  could  not  recollect  an  inhabi- 
tant of  a  mind  so  constructed.  "  Our  kail  is  like  to  be  cauld 
eneugh  too,"  he  reflected,  as  the  chorus  of  "Cauld  Kail  in 
Aberdeen"  again  reached  his  ears.  The  minister — he  had  got 
his  presentation  from  the  late  lord,  but  they  had  quarrelled 
about  teinds;  the  brewster's  wife — she  had  trusted  long,  and 
the  bill  was  aye  scored  up,  and  unless  the  dignity  of  the  fam- 
ily should  actually  require  it,  it  would  be  a  sin  to  distress  a 
widow  woman.  None  was  so  able — but,  on  the  other  hand, 
none  was  likely  to  be  less  willing — to  stand  his  friend  upon 
the  present  occasion,  than  Gibbie  Girder,  the  man  of  tubs  and 
barrels  already  mentioned,  who  had  headed  the  insurrection 
in  the  matter  of  the  egg  and  butter  subsidy.  "  But  a'  comes 
o'  taking  folk  on  the  right  side,  I  trow,"  quoted  Caleb  to  him- 
self ;  "  and  I  had  ance  the  ill  hap  to  say  he  was  but  a  Johnny 
New-come  in  our  town,  and  the  carle  bore  the  family  an  ill- 
wiU  ever  since.  But  he  married  a  bonny  young  quean,  Jean 
Lightbody,  auld  Lightbody's  daughter,  him  that  was  in  the 
steading  of  Loup-the-Dyke ;  and  auld  Lightbody  was  married 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  149 

himsell  to  Marion,  that  was  about  my  lady  in  the  family  forty 
years  syne.  I  hae  had  mony  a  day's  dafiB.ng  wi'  Jean's  mith- 
er,  and  they  say  she  bides  on  wi'  them.  The  carle  has  Jaco- 
buses and  Georgiuses  baith,  an  ane  could  get  at  them ;  and 
sure  I  am,  it's  doing  him  an  honour  him  or  his  never  deserved 
at  our  hand,  the  ungracious  sumph;  and  if  he  loses  by  us 
a'thegither,  he  is  e'en  cheap  o't:  he  can  spare  it  brawly." 

Shaking  off  irresolution,  therefore,  and  turning  at  once  upon 
his  heel,  Caleb  walked  hastily  back  to  the  cooper's  house, 
lifted  the  latch  without  ceremony,  and,  in  a  moment,  found 
himself  behind  the  "  hallan, "  or  partition,  from  which  position 
he  could,  himself  unseen,  reconnoitre  the  interior  of  the  "  but, " 
or  kitchen  apartment,  of  the  mansion. 

Reverse  of  the  sad  menage  at  the  Castle  of  Wolf's  Crag,  a 
bickering  fire  roared  up  the  cooper's  chimney.  His  wife,  on 
the  one  side,  in  her  pearlings  and  pudding-sleeves,  put  the 
last  finishing  touch  to  her  holiday's  apparel,  while  she  con- 
templated a  very  handsome  and  good-humoured  face  in  a 
broken  mirror,  raised  upon  the  "  bink"  (the  shelves  on  which 
the  plates  are  disposed)  for  her  special  accommodatioij.  Her 
mother,  old  Luckie  Loup-the-Dyke,  "  a  canty  carline"  as  was 
within  twenty  miles  of  her,  according  to  the  unanimous  report 
of  the  "  cummers, "  or  gossij)S,  sat  by  the  fire  in  the  full  glory 
of  a  grogram  gown,  lammer  beads,  and  a  clean  cockernony, 
whiffing  a  snug  pipe  of  tobacco,  and  superintending  the  affairs 
of  the  kitchen;  for — sight  more  interesting  to  the  anxious 
heart  and  craving  entrails  of  the  desponding  seneschal  than 
either  buxom  dame  or  canty  cummer — there  bubbled  on  the 
aforesaid  bickering  fire  a  huge  pot,  or  rather  cauldron,  steam- 
ing with  beef  and  brewis ;  while  before  it  revolved  two  spits, 
turned  each  by  one  of  the  cooper's  apprentices,  seated  in  the 
opposite  corners  of  the  chimney,  the  one  loaded  with  a  quarter 
of  mutton,  while  the  other  was  graced  with  a  fat  goose  and  a 
brace  of  wild  ducks.  The  sight  and  scent  of  such  a  land  of 
plenty  almost  wholly  overcame  the  drooping  spirits  of  Caleb. 
He  turned,  for  a  moment's  space  to  reconnoitre  the  "ben,"  or 
parlour  end  of  the  house,  and  there  saw  a  sight  scarce  less  af- 
fecting to  his  feelings — a  large  round  table,  covered  for  ten  or 


150  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

twelve  persons,  decored  (according  to  his  own  favourite  term) 
with  napery  as  white  as  snow,  grand  flagons  of  pewter,  inter- 
mixed with  one  or  two  silver  cups,  containing,  as  was  prob- 
able, something  worthy  the  brilliancy  of  their  outward  ap- 
pearance, clean  trenchers,  cutty  spoons,  knives  and  forks, 
sharp,  burnished,  and  prompt  for  action,  which  lay  all  dis- 
played as  for  an  especial  festival. 

"The  devil's  in  the  peddling  tub-coopering  carl!"  muttered 
Caleb,  in  all  the  envy  of  astonishment;  "it's  a  shame  to  see 
the  like  o'  them  gusting  their  gabs  at  sic  a  rate.  But  if  some 
o'  that  gude  cheer  does  not  find  its  way  to  Wolf's  Crag  this 
night,  my  name  is  not  Caleb  Balderstone. " 

So  resolving,  he  entered  the  apartment,  and,  in  all  courteous 
greeting,  saluted  both  the  mother  and  the  daughter.  Wolf's 
Crag  was  the  court  of  the  barony,  Caleb  prime  minister  at 
Wolf's  Crag;  and  it  has  ever  been  remarked  that,  though  the 
masculine  subject  who  pays  the  taxes  sometimes  growls  at  the 
courtiers  by  whom  they  are  imposed,  the  said  courtiers  con- 
tinue, nevertheless,  welcome  to  the  fair  sex,  to  whom  they 
furnish  the  newest  small-talk  and  the  earliest  fashions.  Both 
the  dames  were,  therefore,  at  once  about  old  Caleb's  neck, 
setting  up  their  throats  together  by  way  of  welcome. 

"Ay,  sirs,  Mr.  Balderstone,  and  is  this  you?  A  sight  of 
you  is  gude  for  sair  een.  Sit  down  — sit  down;  the  gudeman 
will  be  blythe  to  see  you — ye  nar  saw  him  sae  cadgy  in  your 
life ;  but  we  are  to  christen  our  bit  wean  the  night,  as  ye  will 
hae  heard,  and  doubtless  ye  will  stay  and  see  the  ordinance. 
We  hae  killed  a  wether,  and  ane  o'  our  lads  has  been  out  wi' 
his  gun  at  the  moss;  ye  used  to  like  wild-fowl." 

"Xa,  na,  gudewife,"  said  Caleb;  "I  just  keekit  in  to  wish 
ye  joy,  and  I  wad  be  glad  to  hae  spoken  wi'  the  gudeman, 
but "  moving,  as  if  to  go  away. 

"The  ne'er  a  fit  ye's  gang,"  said  the  elder  dame,  laughing 
and  holding  him  fast,  with  a  freedom  which  belonged  to  their 
old  acquaintance ;  "  wha  kens  what  ill  it  may  bring  to  the 
bairn,  if  ye  owerlook  it  in  that  gate?" 

"But  I'm  in  a  preceese  hurry,  gudewife,"  said  the  butler, 
suffering  himself  to  be  dragged  to  a  seat  without  much  resis- 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  I?! 

tance ;  "  and  as  to  eating,  '■  for  he  observed  the  mistress  of  the 
dwelling  bustling  about  to  place  a  trencher  for  him — "  as  for 
eating — lack-a-day,  we  are  just  killed  up  yonder  wi'  eating  frae 
morning  to  night!  .  It's  shamefu'  epicurism;  but  that's  what 
we  hae  gotten  frae  the  English  pock-puddings." 

"Hout,  never  mind  the  English  pock-puddings,"  said 
Luckie  Lightbody ;  "  try  our  puddings,  Mr.  Balderstone ;  there 
is  black  pudding  and  white-hass ;  try  whilk  ye  like  best. " 

"  Baith  gude — baith  excellent — canna  be  better ;  but  the 
very  smell  is  eneugh  for  me  that  hae  dined  sae  lately  (the 
faithful  wretch  had  fasted  since  daybreak).  But  I  wadna 
affront  your  housewif eskep,  gudewif e ;  and,  with  your  permis- 
sion, I'se  e'en  pit  them  in  my  napkin,  and  eat  them  to  my 
supper  at  e'en,  for  I  am  wearied  of  Mysie's  pastry  and  non- 
sense ;  ye  ken  landward  dainties  aye  pleased  me  best,  Marion, 
and  landward  lasses  too  (looking  at  the  cooper's  wife).  Ne'er 
a  bit  but  she  looks  far  better  than  when  she  married  Gilbert, 
and  then  she  was  the  bonniest  lass  in  our  parochine  and  the 
neist  till't.     But  gawsie  cow,  goodly  calf." 

The  women  smiled  at  the  compliment  each  to  herself,  and 
they  smiled  agam  to  each  other  as  Caleb  wrapt  up  the  pud- 
dings in  a  towel  which  he  had  brought  with  him,  as  a  dragoon 
carries  his  foraging  bag  to  receive  what  may  fall  in  his  way. 

"And  what  news  at  the  castle?"  quo'  the  gudewife. 

"  News !  The  bravest  news  ye  ever  heard — the  Lord  Keep- 
er's up  yonder  wi'  his  fair  daughter,  just  ready  to  fling  her  at 
my  lord's  head,  if  he  winna  tak  her  out  o'  his  arms;  and  I'se 
warrant  he'll  stitch  our  auld  lands  of  Eavenswood  to  her  petti- 
coat tail." 

"Eh!  sirs — ay! — and  will  hae  her?  and  is  she  weel-fa- 
voured?  and  what's  the  colour  o'  her  hair?  and  does  she 
wear  a  habit  or  a  railly  ?"  were  the  questions  which  the  fe- 
males showered  upon  the  butler. 

"Hout  tout!  it  wad  tak  a  man  a  day  to  answer  a'  your 
questions,  and  I  hae  hardly  a  minute.  Where's  the  gude- 
man?" 

"Awa'  to  fetch  the  minister,"  said  Mrs.  Girder,  "precious 
Mr.  Peter   Bide-the-Bent,    frae   the    Mosshead;    the   honest 


152  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

man  has  the  rheumatism  wi'  lying  in  the  hills  in  the  perse- 
cution." 

"Ay!  Whig  and  a  mountain-man,  nae  less!"  said  Caleb, 
with  a  peevishness  he  could  not  suppress.  "  I  hae  seen  the 
day,  Luckie,  when  worthy  Mr.  Cuffcushion  and  the  service- 
book  would  hae  served  your  turn  (to  the  elder  dame),  or  ony 
honest  woman  in  like  circumstances." 

"And  that's  true  too,"  said  Mrs.  Lightbody,  "but  what  can 
a  body  do?  Jean  maun  baith  smg  her  psalms  and  busk  her 
cockernony  the  gate  the  gudeman  likes,  and  nae  ither  gate ;  for 
he's  maister  and  mair  at  hame,  I  can  tell  ye,  Mr.  Balder- 
stone." 

"Ay,  ay,  and  does  he  guide  the  gear  too?"  said  Caleb,  to 
whose  projects  masculine  rule  boded  little  good. 

"Ilka  penny  on't;  but  he'll  dress  her  as  dink  as  a  daisy, 
as  ye  see;  sae  she  has  little  reason  to  complain :  where  there's 
ane  better  aff  there's  ten  waur." 

"  Aweel,  gudewif e, "  said  Caleb,  crestfallen,  but  not  beaten 
off,  "  that  wasna  the  way  ye  guided  your  gudeman ;  but  ilka 
land  has  its  ain  lauch.  I  maun  be  ganging.  I  just  wanted 
to  round  in  the  gudeman' s  lug,  that  I  heard  them  say  up-bye 
yonder  that  Peter  Puncheon,  that  was  cooper  to  the  Queen's 
stores  at  the  Timmer  Burse  at  Leith,  is  dead;  sae  I  thought 
that  maybe  a  word  frae  my  lord  to  the  Lord  Keeper  might 
hae  served  Gilbert;  but  since  he's  frae  hame " 

"0,  but  ye  maun  stay  his  hame-coming,"  said  the  dame. 
"  I  aye  telled  the  gudeman  ye  meant  weel  to  him ;  but  he 
taks  the  tout  at  every  bit  lippening  word." 

"Aweel,  I'll  stay  the  last  minute  I  can." 

"  And  so, "  said  the  handsome  young  spouse  of  Mr.  Girder, 
"ye  think  this  Miss  Ashton  is  weel -favoured?  Troth,  and 
sae  should  she,  to  set  up  for  our  young  lord,  with  a  face  and 
a  hand,  and  a  seat  on  his  horse,  that  might  become  a  king's 
son.  D'ye  ken  that  he  aye  glowers  up  at  my  window,  Mr. 
Balderstone,  when  he  chaunces  to  ride  thro'  the  town?  Sae  I 
hae  a  right  to  ken  what  like  he  is,  as  weel  as  ony  body." 

"  I  ken  that  brawly,"  said  Caleb,  "for  I  hae  heard  his  lord- 
ship say  the  cooper's  wife  had  the  blackest  ee  in  the  barony; 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  153 

and  I  said,  'Weel  may  that  be,  my  lord,  for  it  was  her  mith- 
er's  afore  her,  as  I  ken  to  my  cost.'  Eh,  Marion?  Ha,  ha, 
ha!     Ah!  these  were  merry  days!" 

"Hoiit  awa',  auld  carle,"  said  the  old  dame,  "to  speak  sic 
daffing  to  young  folk.  But,  Jean — lie,  woman,  dinna  ye  hear 
the  bairn  greet?  I'se  warrant  it's  that  dreary  weid  has  come 
ower't  again." 

Up  got  mother  and  grandmother,  and  scoured  away,  jos- 
tling each  other  as  they  ran,  into  some  remote  corner  of  the 
tenement,  where  the  yomig  hero  of  the  evening  was  dex^osited. 
When  Caleb  saw  the  coast  fairly  clear,  he  took  an  invigorat- 
ing pinch  of  snuff,  to  sharpen  and  confirm  his  resolution. 

"  Gauld  be  my  cast, "  thought  he,  "  if  either  Bide-the-Bent 
or  Giraer  taste  that  broach  of  wild-fowl  this  evening" ;  and 
then  addressing  the  eldest  turnspit,  a  boy  of  about  eleven 
years  old,  and  putting  a  penny  into  his  hand,  he  said,  "  Here 
is  twal  pennies,  my  man;  carry  that  ower  to  Mrs.  Sma'trash, 
and  bid  her  fill  my  mill  wi'  snishing,  and  I'll  turn  the  broche 
for  ye  in  the  mean  time ;  and  she  will  gie  ye  a  ginge-bread 
snap  for  your  pains." 

No  sooner  was  the  elder  boy  departed  on  this  mission  than 
Caleb,  looking  the  remaining  turnspit  gravely  and  steadily  in 
the  face,  removed  from  the  fire  the  spit  bearing  the  wild-fowl 
of  which  he  had  undertaken  the  charge,  clapped  his  hat  on 
his  head,  and  fairly  marched  off  with  it.  He  stopped  at  the 
door  of  the  change-house  only  to  say,  in  a  few  brief  words, 
that  Mr.  Hayston  of  Bucklaw  was  not  to  expect  a  bed  that 
evening  in  the  castle. 

If  this  message  was  too  briefly  delivered  by  Caleb,  it  be- 
came absolute  rudeness  when  conveyed  through  the  medium 
of  a  suburb  landlady ;  and  Bucklaw  was,  as  a  more  calm  and 
temperate  man  might  have  been,  highly  incensed.  Captain 
Craigengelt  proposed,  with  the  unanimous  applause  of  all 
present,  that  they  should  course  the  old  fox  (meaning  Caleb) 
ere  he  got  to  cover,  and  toss  him  in  a  blanket.  But  Lockhard 
intimated  to  his  master's  servants  and  those  of  Lord  Bittle- 
brains,  in  a  tone  of  authority,  that  the  slightest  impertinence 
to  the  Master  of  Ravenswood's  domestic  would  give  Sir  Wil- 


154  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

liam  Asliton  the  highest  offence.  And  having  so  said,  in  a 
manner  sufficient  to  prevent  any  aggression  on  their  part,  he 
left  the  public-house,  taking  along  with  him  two  servants 
loaded  with  such  provisions  as  he  had  been  able  to  procure, 
and  overtook  Caleb  just  when  he  had  cleared  the  village. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


Should  I  take  aut,ht  of  you?    'Tis  true  I  begged  now  ; 
And  what  is  worse  than  that,  I  stole  a  kindness  ; 
And,  what  is  worst  of  all,  I  lost  my  way  in't. 

Wit  Without  Money, 

The  face  of  the  little  boy,  sole  witness  of  Caleb's  infringe- 
ment upon  the  laws  at  once  of  property  and  hospitality,  would 
have  made  a  good  picture.  He  sat  motionless,  as  if  he  had 
witnessed  some  of  the  spectral  appearances  which  he  had 
heard  told  of  in  a  winter's  evening;  and  as  he  forgot  his  own 
duty,  and  allowed  his  spit  to  stand  still,  he  added  to  the  mis- 
fortunes of  the  evening  by  suffering  the  mutton  to  burn  as 
black  as  a  coal.  He  was  first  recalled  from  his  trance  of  as- 
tonishment by  a  hearty  cuff  administered  by  Dame  Lightbody, 
who,  in  whatever  other  respects  she  might  conform  to  her 
name,  was  a  woman  strong  of  person,  and  expert  in  the  use 
of  her  hands,  as  some  say  her  deceased  husband  had  known 
to  his  cost. 

"What  garr'd  ye  let  the  roast  burn,  ye  ill-clerkit  gude-for- 
nought?" 

"  I  dimia  ken, "  said  the  boy. 

"And  where's  that  ill-deedy  gett,  Giles?" 

"  I  dinna  ken, "  blubbered  the  astonished  declarant. 

"And  where's  Mr.  Balderstone? — and  abune  a',  and  in  the 
name  of  council  and  kirk-session,  that  I  suld  say  sae,  where's 
the  broche  wi'  the  wild-fowl?" 

As  Mrs.  Girder  here  entered,  and  joined  her  mother's  ex- 
clamations, screaming  into  one  ear  while  the  old  lady  deafened 
the  other,  they  succeeded  in  so  utterly  confounding  the  unhappy 
urchin,  that  he  could  not  for  some  time  tell  his  story  at  all, 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  166 

and  it  was  only  when  the  elder  boy  returned  that  the  truth 
began  to  dawn  on  their  minds. 

"  Weel,  sirs!"  said  Mrs.  Lightbody,  "wha  wad  hae  thought 
o'  Caleb  Balder  stone  playing  an  auld  acquaintance  sic  a 
pliskie!" 

"Oh,  weary  on  him!"  said  the  spouse  of  Mr.  Girder;  "and 
what  am  I  to  say  to  the  gudeman?  He'll  brain  me,  if  there 
wasna  anither  woman  in  a'  WoK's  Hope." 

"Hout  tout,  silly  quean,"  said  the  mother;  "na,  na,  it's 
come  to  muckle,  but  it's  no  come  to  that  neither;  for  an  he 
brain  you  he  maun  brain  me,  and  I  have  garr'd  his  betters 
stand  back.  Hands  aff  is  fair  play ;  we  maunna  heed  a  bit 
flyting." 

The  tramp  of  horses  now  announced  the  arrival  of  the 
cooper,  with  the  minister.  They  had  no  sooner  dismounted 
than  they  made  for  the  kitchen  fire,  for  the  evening  was  cool 
after  the  thunderstorm,  and  the  woods  wet  and  dirty.  The 
young  gudewife,  strong  in  the  charms  of  her  Sunday  gown 
and  biggonets,  threw  herself  in  the  way  of  receiving  the  first 
attack,  while  her  mother,  like  the  veteran  division  of  the  Ro- 
man legion,  remained  in  the  rear,  ready  to  support  her  in  case 
of  necessity.  Both  hoped  to  protract  the  the  discovery  of 
what  had  happened — the  mother,  by  interposing  her  bustling 
person  betwixt  Mr.  Girder  and  the  fire,  and  the  daughter,  by 
the  extreme  cordiality  with  which  she  received  the  minister 
and  her  husband,  and  the  anxious  fears  which  she  expressed 
lest  they  should  have  "gotten  cauld." 

"Cauld!"  quoted  the  husband,  surlily,  for  he  was  not  of 
that  class  of  lords  and  masters  whose  wives  are  viceroys  over 
them,  "  we'll  be  cauld  eneugh,  I  think,  if  ye  dinna  let  us  in 
to  the  fire." 

And  so  saying,  he  burst  his  way  through  both  lines  of  de- 
fence ;  and,  as  he  had  a  careful  eye  over  his  property  of  every 
kind,  he  perceived  at  one  glance  the  absence  of  the  spit  with 
its  savoury  burden.     "  What  the  deil,  woman " 

"Fie  for  shame!"  exclaimed  both  the  women;  "and  before 
Mr.  Bide-the-Bent!" 

"  I  stand  reproved, "  said  the  cooper ;  "  but " 


156  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

"  The  taking  in  our  mouths  the  name  of  the  great  enemy  of 
our  souls,"  said  Mr.  Bide-the-Bent 

"  I  stand  reproved, "  said  the  cooper. 

" — Is  an  exposing  ourselves  to  his  temptations,"  continued 
the  reverend  monitor,  "  and  in  inviting,  or,  in  some  sort,  a 
compelling,  of  him  to  lay  aside  his  other  trafficking  with  un- 
happy persons,  and  wait  upon  those  in  whose  speech  his  name 
is  frequent." 

"  Weel,  weel,  Mr.  Bide-the-Bent,  can  a  man  do  mair  than 
stand  reproved?"  said  the  cooper;  "but  jest  let  me  ask  the 
women  what  for  they  hae  dished  the  wild-fowl  before  we 
came. " 

"  They  arena  dished,  Gilbert, "  said  his  wife ;  "  but — but  an 
accident " 

"What  accident?"  said  Girder,  with  flashing  eyes.  "Nae 
ill  come  ower  them,  I  trust?     Uh?" 

His  wife,  who  stood  much  in  awe  of  him,  durst  not  reply, 
but  her  mother  bustled  up  to  her  support,  with  arms  disposed 
as  if  they  were  about  to  be  a-kimbo  at  the  next  reply. — "I 
gied  them  to  an  acquaintance  of  mine,  Gibbie  Girder;  and 
what  about  it  now?" 

Her  excess  of  assurance  struck  Girder  mute  for  an  instant. 
"  And  ye  gied  the  wild-fowl,  the  best  end  of  our  christening 
dinner,  to  a  friend  of  yours,  ye  auld  rudas !  And  what  might 
his  name  be,  I  pray  ye?" 

"Just  worthy  Mr,  Caleb  Balderstone — frae  Wolf's  Crag," 
answered  Marion,  prompt  and  prepared  for  battle. 

Girder's  wrath  foamed  over  all  restraint.  If  there  was  a 
circumstance  which  could  have  added  to  the  resentment  he 
felt,  it  was  that  this  extravagant  donation  had  been  made  in 
favour  of  our  friend  Caleb,  towards  whom,  for  reasons  to 
which  the  reader  is  no  stranger,  he  nourished  a  decided  re- 
sentment. He  raised  his  riding-wand  against  the  elder  ma- 
tron, but  she  stood  firm,  collected  in  herself,  and  undauntedly 
brandished  the  iron  ladle  with  which  she  had  just  been  "  flamb- 
ing"  {Anglice,  basting)  the  roast  of  mutton.  Her  weapon  was 
certainly  the  better,  and  her  arm  not  the  weakest  of  the  two ; 
so  that  Gilbert  thought  it  safest  to  turn  short  off  upon  his 


■The  minister  interposed,  both  by  voice  and  action." 

Lanunerinoor,  Chap,  xiil.,  p.  157 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  157 

wife,  who  had  by  this  time  hatched  a  sort  of  hysterical  whine, 
which  greatly  moved  the  minister,  who  was  in  fact  as  simple 
and  kind-hearted  a  creature  as  ever  bi-eathed.  "  And  you, 
ye  thowless  jade,  to  sit  still  and  see  my  substance  disponed 
upon  to  an  idle,  drunken,  reprobate,  worm-eaten  serving-man, 
just  because  he  kittles  the  lugs  o'  a  silly  auld  wife  wi'  use- 
less clavers,  and  every  twa  words  a  lee?  I'll  gar  you  as 
gude " 

Here  the  minister  interposed,  both  by  voice  and  action, 
while  Dame  Lightbody  threw  herself  in  front  of  her  daugh- 
ter, and  flourished  her  ladle. 

"Am  I  no  to  chastise  my  ain  wife?"  exclaimed  the  cooper 
very  indignantly. 

"  Ye  may  chastise  your  ain  wife  if  ye  like, "  answered  Dame 
Lightbody ;  "  but  ye  shall  never  lay  finger  on  my  daughter, 
and  that  ye  may  found  upon. " 

"For  shame,  Mr.  Girder!"  said  the  clergyman;  "this  is 
what  I  little  expected  to  have  seen  of  you,  that  you  suld  give 
rein  to  your  sinful  passions  against  your  nearest  and  your 
dearest,  and  this  night  too,  when  ye  are  called  to  the  most 
solemn  duty  of  a  Christian  parent;  and  a'  for  what?  For  a 
redundancy  of  creature-comforts,  as  worthless  as  they  are  un- 
needf  ul. " 

"  Worthless !"  exclaimed  the  cooper.  "  A  better  guse  never 
walkit  on  stubble ;  two  finer,  dentier  wild  ducks  never  wat  a 
feather. " 

"Be  it  sae,  neighbour,"  rejoined  the  minister;  "but  see 
what  superfluities  are  yet  revolving  before  your  fire.  I  have 
seen  the  day  when  ten  of  the  bannocks  which  stand  upon  that 
board  would  have  been  an  acceptable  dainty  to  as  many  men, 
that  were  starving  on  hills  and  bogs,  and  in  caves  of  the 
earth,  for  the  Gospel's  sake." 

"And  that's  what  vexes  me  maist  of  a',"  said  the  cooper, 
anxious  to  get  some  one  to  sympathise  with  his  not  altogether 
causeless  anger ;  "  an  the  quean  had  gien  it  to  ony  sufi:'ering 
sant,  or  to  ony  body  ava  but  that  reaving,  lying,  oppressing 
Tory  villain,  that  rade  in  the  wicked  troop  of  militia  when  it 
was  commanded  out  against  the  sants  at  Bothwell  Brig  by 


158  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

the  auld  tyrant  Allan  Ravenswood,  that  is  gane  to  his  place, 
I  wad  the  less  hae  minded  it.  But  to  gie  the  principal  parts 
o'  the  feast  to  the  like  o'  him !" 

"  Aweel,  Gilbert, "  said  the  minister,  "  and  dinna  ye  see  a 
high  judgment  in  this?  The  seed  of  the  righteous  are  not 
seen  begging  their  bread :  think  of  the  son  of  a  powerful  op- 
pressor being  brought  to  the  pass  of  supporting  his  household 
from  your  fulness." 

"  And,  besides, "  said  the  wife,  "  it  wasna  for  Lord  Ravens- 
wood  neither,  an  he  wad  hear  but  a  body  speak :  it  was  to 
help  to  entertain  the  Lord  Keeper,  as  they  ca'  him,  that's 
up  yonder  at  Wolf's  Crag." 

"Sir  William  Ashton  at  WoK's  Crag!"  ejaculated  the 
astonished  man  of  hoops  and  staves. 

"And  hand  and  glove  wi'  Lord  Ravenswood,"  added  Dame 
Lightbody. 

"  Doited  idiot !  that  auld,  clavering  sneckdrawer  wad  gar 
ye  trow  the  moon  is  made  of  green  cheese.  The  Lord  Keeper 
and  Ravenswood!  they  are  cat  and  dog,  hare  and  hound." 

"  I  tell  ye  they  are  man  and  wife,  and  gree  better  than  some 
others  that  are  sae,"  retorted  the  mother-in-law;  "forbye, 
Peter  Puncheon,  that's  cooper  to  the  Queen's  stores,  is  dead, 
and  the  place  is  to  fill,  and " 

"  Od  guide  us,  wuU  ye  hand  your  skirling  tongues!"  said 
Girder,  — for  we  are  to  remark,  that  this  explanation  was  given 
like  a  catch  for  two  voices,  the  younger  dame,  much  encour- 
aged by  the  turn  of  the  debate,  taking  up  and  repeating  in  a 
higher  tone  the  words  as  fast  as  they  were  uttered  by  her 
mother. 

"The  gudewife  says  naething  but  what's  true,  maister," 
said  Girder's  foreman,  who  had  come  in  during  the  fray.  "  I 
saw  the  Lord  Keeper's  servants  drinking  and  driving  ower  at 
Luckie  Sma'trash's,  ower-bye  yonder." 

"And  is  their  maister  up  at  Wolf's  Crag?"  said  Girder. 

"  Ay,  troth  is  he, "  replied  his  man  of  confidence. 

"And  friends  wi'  Ravenswood?" 

"It's  like  sae,"  answered  the  foreman,  "since  he  is  putting 
up  wi'  him." 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  159 

"And  Peter  Puncheou's  dead?" 

"Ay,  ay,  Puncheon  has  leaked  out  at  last,  the  auld  carle," 
said  the  foreman ;  "  mony  a  dribble  o'  brandy  has  gaen  through 
him  in  his  day.  But  as  for  the  broche  and  the  wild-fowl,  the 
saddle's  no  aff  your  mare  yet,  maister,  and  I  could  follow  and 
bring  it  back,  for  Mr.  Balderstone's  no  far  aff  the  town  yet." 

"  Do  sae,  Will ;  and  come  here,  I'll  tell  ye  what  to  do  when 
ye  owertake  him." 

He  relieved  the  females  of  his  presence,  and  gave  Will  his 
private  instructions. 

"A  bonny -like  thing, "  said  the  mother-in-law,  as  the  cooper 
re-entered  the  apartment,  "  to  send  the  innocent  lad  after  an 
armed  man,  when  ye  ken  Mr.  Balderstone  aye  wears  a  rapier, 
and  whiles  a  dirk  into  the  bargain." 

"I  trust,"  said  the  minister,  "ye  have  reflected  weel  on 
what  ye  have  done,  lest  you  should  minister  cause  of  strife,  of 
which  it  is  my  duty  to  say,  he  who  affordeth  matter,  albeit 
he  himself  striketh  not,  is  in  no  manner  guiltless. " 

"  Never  fash  your  beard,  Mr.  Bide-the-Bent, "  replied  Girder ; 
"  ane  canna  get  their  breath  out  here  between  wives  and  minis- 
ters. I  ken  best  how  to  turn  my  ain  cake.  Jean,  serve  up 
the  dinner,  and  nae  mair  about  it." 

Nor  did  he  again  allude  to  the  deficiency  in  the  course  of 
the  evening. 

Meantime,  the  foreman,  mounted  on  his  master's  steed,  and 
charged  with  his  special  orders,  pricked  swiftly  forth  in  pur- 
suit of  the  marauder  Caleb.  That  personage,  it  may  be  imag- 
ined, did  not  linger  by  the  way.  He  intermitted  even  his 
dearly-beloved  chatter,  for  the  purpose  of  making  more  haste, 
only  assuring  Mr.  Lockhard  that  he  had  made  the  purveyor's 
wife  give  the  wild-fowl  a  few  turns  before  the  fire,  in  case  that 
Mysie,  who  had  been  so  much  alarmed  by  the  thunder,  should 
not  have  her  kitchen-grate  in  full  splendour.  Meanwhile, 
alleging  the  necessity  of  being  at  \'\^olf's  Crag  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible, he  pushed  on  so  fast  that  his  companions  could  scarce 
keep  up  with  him.  He  began  already  to  think  he  was  safe 
from  pursuit,  having  gained  the  summit  of  the  swelling  emi- 
nence which  divides  Wolf's  Crag  from  the  village,  when  he 


160  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

heard  the  distant  tread  of  a  horse,  and  a  voice  which  shouted 
at  intervals,  "  Mr.  Caleb — Mr.  Balderstone — Mr.  Caleb  Balder- 
stone — hollo — bide  a  wee!" 

Caleb,  it  may  be  well  believed,  was  in  no  hurry  to  acknowl- 
edge the  summons.  First,  he  would  not  hear  it,  and  faced 
his  companions  down,  that  it  was  the  echo  of  the  wind; 
then  he  said  it  was  not  worth  stopping  for ;  and,  at  length, 
halting  reluctantly,  as  the  figure  of  the  horseman  appeared 
through  the  shades  of  the  evening,  he  bent  up  his  whole  soul 
to  the  task  of  defending  his  prey,  threw  himself  into  an  atti- 
tude of  dignity,  advanced  the  spit,  which  in  his  grasp  might 
with  its  burden  seem  both  spear  and  shield,  and  firmly  re- 
solved to  die  rather  than  surrender  it. 

What  was  his  astonishment,  when  the  cooper's  foreman, 
riding  up  and  addressing  him  with  respect,  told  him:  "His 
master  Avas  very  sorry  he  was  absent  when  he  came  to  his 
dwelling,  and  grieved  that  he  could  not  tarry  the  christening 
dinner;  and  that  he  had  taen  the  freedom  to  send  a  sma' 
runlet  of  sack,  and  ane  anker  of  brandy,  as  he  understood 
there  were  guests  at  the  castle,  and  that  they  were  short  of 
preparation. " 

I  have  heard  somewhere  a  story  of  an  elderly  gentleman  who 
was  pursued  by  a  bear  that  had  gotten  loose  from  its  muzzle, 
until  completely  exhausted.  In  a  fit  of  desperation,  he  faced 
round  upon  Bruin  and  lifted  his  cane;  at  the  sight  of  which 
the  instinct  of  discipline  prevailed,  and  the  animal,  instead  of 
tearing  him  to  pieces,  rose  up  upon  his  hind-legs  and  instantly 
began  to  shuffle  a  saraband.  Not  less  than  the  joyful  surprise 
of  the  senior,  who  had  supposed  himself  in  the  extremity  of 
peril  from  which  he  was  thus  unexpectedly  relieved,  was 
that  of  our  excellent  friend  Caleb,  when  he  found  the  pursuer 
intended  to  add  to  his  prize,  instead  of  bereaving  him  of  it. 
He  recovered  his  latitude,  however,  instantly,  so  soon  as  the 
foreman,  stooping  from  his  nag,  where  he  sate  perched  be- 
twixt the  two  barrels,  whispered  in  his  ear :  "If  ony  thing 
about  Peter  Puncheon's  place  could  be  airted  their  way,  John 
[Gibbie]  Girder  wad  mak  it  better  to  the  Master  of  Eavens- 
wood  than  a  pair  of  new  gloves ;  and  that  he  wad  be  blythe  to 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  161 

speak  wi'  Maister  Balderstone  on  that  head,  and  he  wad  find 
him  as  pliant  as  a  hoop-willow  in  a'  that  he  could  wish  of 
him." 

Caleb  heard  all  this  without  rendering  any  answer,  except 
that  of  all  great  men  from  Louis  XIV.  downwards,  namely, 
"  We  will  see  about  it" ;  and  then  added  aloud,  for  the  edifi- 
cation of  Mr.  Lockhard :  "  Your  master  has  acted  with  becom- 
ing civility  and  attention  in  forwarding  the  liquors,  and  I  will 
not  fail  to  represent  it  properly  to  my  Lord  Ravenswood. 
And,  my  lad, "  he  said,  "  you  may  ride  on  to  the  castle,  and  if 
none  of  the  servants  are  returned,  whilk  is  to  be  dreaded,  as 
they  make  day  and  night  of  it  when  they  are  out  of  sight,  ye 
may  put  them  into  the  porter's  lodge,  whilk  is  on  the  right 
hand  of  the  great  entry ;  the  porter  has  got  leave  to  go  to  see 
his  friends,  sae  ye  will  met  no  ane  to  steer  ye." 

The  foreman,  having  received  his  orders,  rode  on ;  and  hav- 
ing deposited  the  casks  in  the  deserted  and  ruinous  porter's 
lodge,  he  returned  unquestioned  by  any  one.  Having  thus 
executed  his  master's  commission,  and  doffed  his  bonnet 
to  Caleb  and  his  company  as  he  repassed  them  in  his  way  to 
the  village,  he  returned  to  have  his  share  of  the  christening 
festivity,  ^ 


CHAPTER   XIV. 


As,  to  the  Autumn  breeze's  bugle  sound, 

Various  and  vague  the  dry  leaves  dance  their  round  ; 

Or,  from  the  garner-door,  on  ether  borne, 

The  chaff  flies  devious  from  the  winnow'd  corn  ; 

So  vague,  so  devious,  at  the  breath  of  heaven, 

From  their  fix'd  aim  are  mortal  counsels  driv'n. 

A7iony77ious. 

We  left  Caleb  Balderstone  in  the  extremity  of  triumph  at 
the  success  of  his  various  achievements  for  the  honour  of  the 
house  of  Ravenswood.  When  he  had  mustered  and  marshalled 
his  dishes  of  divers  kinds,  a  more  royal  provision  had  not  been 
seen  in  Wolf's  Crag  since  the  funeral  feast  of  its  deceased  lord. 

1  See  Raid  of  Caleb  Balderstone.    Note  5. 
11 


162  WAVERLEY   NOVELS. 

Great  was  the  glory  of  the  serving-man^  as  he  "  decored"  the 
old  oaken  table  with  a  clean  cloth,  and  arranged  upon  it  car- 
bonaded  venison  and  roasted  wild-fowl,  with  a  glance,  every 
now  and  then,  as  if  to  upbraid  the  incredulity  of  his  master 
and  his  guests ;  and  with  many  a  story,  more  or  less  true,  was 
Lockhard  that  evening  regaled  concerning  the  ancient  grandeur 
of  Wolf's  Crag,  and  the  sway  of  its  barons  over  the  country 
in  their  neighbourhood. 

"  A  vassal  scarce  held  a  calf  or  a  lamb  his  ain,  till  he  had 
first  asked  if  the  Lord  of  Eavenswood  was  pleased  to  accept 
it;  and  they  were  obliged  to  ask  the  lord's  consent  before 
they  married  m  these  days,  and  mony  a  merry  tale  they  tell 
about  that  right  as  weel  as  others.  And  although,"  said 
Caleb,  "  these  times  are  not  like  the  gude  auld  times,  when 
authority  had  its  right,  yet  true  it  is,  Mr.  Lockhard,  and  you 
yoursell  may  partly  have  remarked,  that  we  of  the  house  of 
Ravens  wood  do  our  endeavour  in  keeping  up,  by  all  just  and 
lawful  exertion  of  our  baronial  authority,  that  due  and  fitting 
connexion  betwixt  superior  and  vassal,  whilk  is  in  some  dan- 
ger of  falling  into  desuetude,  owing  to  the  general  license  and 
misrule  of  these  present  unhappy  times." 

"Umph!"  said  Mr.  Lockhard;  "and  if  I  may  inquire, 
Mr.  Balderstone,  pray  do  you  find  your  people  at  the  vil- 
lage yonder  amenable?  for  I  must  needs  say,  that  at  Ea- 
venswood Castle,  now  pertaining  to  my  master  the  Lord 
Keeper,  ye  have  not  left  behind  ye  the  most  compliant  set 
of  tenantry." 

"  Ah !  but  Mr.  Lockhard, "  replied  Caleb,  "  ye  must  consider 
there  has  been  a  change  of  hands,  and  the  auld  lord  might  ex- 
pect twa  turns  frae  them,  when  the  new-comer  canna  get  ane. 
A  dour  and  fractious  set  they  were,  thae  tenants  of  Eavens- 
wood, and  ill  to  live  wi'  when  they  dinna  ken  their  master ;  and 
if  your  master  put  them  mad  ance,  the  whole  country  will  not 
put  them  down. " 

"  Troth,"  said  Mr.  Lockhard,  "  an  such  be  the  case,  I  think 
the  wisest  thing  for  us  a'  wad  be  to  hammer  up  a  match  be- 
tween your  young  lord  and  our  winsome  young  leddy  up-bye 
there;  and  Sir  William  might  just  stitch  your  auld  barony  to 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOK.  163 

her  gown-sleeve,  and  he  wad  sune  cuitle  another  out  o'  some- 
body else,  sic  a  lang  head  as  he  has." 

Caleb  shook  his  head.  "  I  wish, "  he  said — "  I  wish  that 
may  answer,  Mr.  Lockhard.  There  are  auld  prophecies  about 
this  house  I  wad  like  ill  to  see  fulfilled  wi'  my  auld  een,  chat 
has  seen  evil  eneugh  already." 

"'  Pshaw !  never  mind  freits, "  said  his  brother  butler ;  "  if 
the  young  folk  liked  ane  anither,  they  wad  make  a  winsome 
couple.  But,  to  say  truth,  there  is  a  leddy  sits  in  our  hall- 
neuk,  maun  have  her  hand  in  that  as  weel  as  in  every  other 
job.  But  there's  no  harm  in  drinking  to  their  healths,  and  I 
will  fill  Mrs.  Mysie  a  cup  of  Mr.  Girder's  canary." 

While  they  thus  enjoyed  themselves  in  the  kitchen,  the 
company  in  the  hall  were  not  less  pleasantly  engaged.  So 
soon  as  Kavenswood  had  determined  upon  giving  the  Lord 
Keeper  such  hospitality  as  he  had  to  offer,  he  deemed  it  in- 
cumbent on  him  to  assume  the  open  and  courteous  brow  of  a 
well-pleased  host.  It  has  been  often  remarked,  that  when  a 
man  commences  by  acting  a  character,  he  frequently  ends  by 
adopting  it  in  good  earnest.  In  the  course  of  an  hour  or  two, 
Ravenswood,  to  his  own  surprise,  found  himself  in  the  situa- 
tion of  one  who  frankly  does  his  best  to  entertain  welcome  and 
honoured  guests.  How  much  of  this  change  in  his  disposi- 
tion was  to  be  ascribed  to  the  beauty  and  simplicity  of  Miss 
Ashton,  to  the  readiness  with  which  she  accommodated  herself 
to  the  inconveniences  of  her  situation ;  how  much  to  the  smooth 
and  plausible  conversation  of  the  Lord  Keeper,  remarkably 
gifted  with  those  words  which  win  the  ear,  must  be  left  to  the 
reader's  ingenuity  to  conjecture.  But  Kavenswood  was  in- 
sensible to  neither. 

The  Lord  Keeper  was  a  veteran  statesman,  well  acquainted 
with  courts  and  cabinets,  and  intimate  with  all  the  various 
turns  of  public  affairs  during  the  last  eventful  years  of  the 
17th  century.  He  could  talk,  from  his  own  knowledge,  of 
men  and  events,  in  a  way  which  failed  not  to  win  attention, 
and  had  the  peculiar  art,  while  he  never  said  a  word  which 
committed  himself,  at  the  same  time  to  persuade  the  hearer 


164  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

that  he  was  speaking  without  the  least  shadow  of  scrupulous 
caution  or  reserve.  Ravenswood,  in  spite  of  his  prejudices 
and  real  grounds  of  resentment,  felt  himself  at  once  amused 
and  instructed  in  listening  to  him,  while  the  statesman,  whose 
inward  feelings  had  at  first  so  much  impeded  his  efforts  to  make 
himself  known,  had  now  regained  all  the  ease  and  fluency  of  a 
silver-tongued  lawyer  of  the  very  highest  order. 

His  daughter  did  not  speak  much,  but  she  smiled ;  and  what 
she  did  say  argued  a  submissive  gentleness,  and  a  desire  to  give 
pleasure,  which,  to  a  proud  man  like  Ravenswood,  was  more 
fascinating  than  the  most  brilliant  wit.  Above  all,  he  could 
not  but  observe  that,  whether  from  gratitude  or  from  some  other 
motive,  he  himself,  in  his  deserted  and  unprovided  hall,  was 
as  much  the  object  of  respectful  attention  to  his  guests  as  he 
would  have  been  when  surrounded  by  all  the  appliances  and 
means  of  hospitality  proper  to  his  high  birth.  All  deficiencies 
passed  unobserved,  or,  if  they  did  not  escape  notice,  it  was  to 
praise  the  substitutes  which  Caleb  had  contrived  to  supply  the 
want  of  the  usual  accommodations.  Where  a  smile  was  un- 
avoidable, it  was  a  very  good-humoured  one,  and  often  coupled 
with  some  well-turned  compliment,  to  show  how  much  the 
guests  esteemed  the  merits  of  their  noble  host,  how  little  they 
thought  of  the  inconveniences  with  which  they  were  sur- 
rounded. I  am  not  sure  whether  the  pride  of  being  found  to 
outbalance,  in  virtue  of  his  own  personal  merit,  all  the  dis- 
advantages of  fortune,  did  not  make  as  favourable  an  impres- 
sion upon  the  haughty  heart  of  the  Master  of  Ravenswood  as 
the  conversation  of  the  father  and  the  beauty  of  Lucy  Ashton. 

The  hour  of  repose  arrived.  The  Keeper  and  his  daughter 
retired  to  their  apartments,  which  were  "  decored"  more  prop- 
erly than  could  have  been  antici]3ated.  In  making  the  neces- 
sary arrangements,  Mysie  had  indeed  enjoyed  the  assistance 
of  a  gossip  who  had  arrived  from  the  village  upon  an  explora- 
tory expedition,  but  had  been  arrested  by  Caleb,  and  impressed 
into  the  domestic  drudgery  of  the  evening ;  so  that,  instead  of 
returning  home  to  describe  the  dress  and  person  of  the  grand 
young  lady^  she  found  herself  compelled  to  be  active  in  the 
domestic  economy  of  Wolf's  Crag. 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  165 

According  to  the  custom  of  the  time,  the  Master  of  Ravens- 
wood  attended  the  Lord  Keeper  to  his  apartment,  followed  by- 
Caleb,  who  placed  on  the  table,  with  all  the  ceremonials  due 
to  torches  of  wax,  two  rudely-framed  tallow-candles,  such  as 
in  those  days  were  only  used  by  the  peasantry,  hooped  in  pal- 
try clasps  of  wire,  which  served  for  candlesticks.  He  then 
disappeared,  and  presently  entered  with  two  earthen  flagons 
(the  china,  he  said,  had  been  little  used  since  my  lady's 
time),  one  filled  with  canary  wine,  the  other  with  brandy.^ 
The  canary  sack,  unheeding  all  probabilities  of  detection, 
he  declared  had  been  twenty  years  in  the  cellars  of  Wolf's 
Crag,  "  though  it  was  not  for  him  to  speak  before  their  hon- 
ours; the  brandy — it  was  weel-kenn'd  liquor,  as  mild  as 
mead  and  as  strong  as  Sampson;  it  had  been  in  the  house 
ever  since  the  memorable  revel,  in  which  auld  Micklestob  had 
been  slain  at  the  head  of  the  stair  by  Jamie  of  Jenklebrae, 
on  account  of  the  honour  of  the  worshipful  Lady  Muirend, 
wha  was  in  some  sort  an  ally  of  the  family ;  natheless " 

"  But  to  cut  that  matter  short,  Mr.  Caleb, "  said  the  Keeper, 
"  perhaps  you  will  favour  me  with  a  ewer  of  water. " 

"  God  forbid  your  lordship  should  drink  water  in  this  fam- 
ily, "  replied  Caleb,  "  to  the  disgrace  of  so  honourable  an 
house!" 

"  Nevertheless,  if  his  lordship  have  a  fancy, "  said  the  Mas- 
ter, smiling,  "  1  think  you  might  indulge  him ;  for,  if  I  mis- 
take not,  there  has  been  water  drank  here  at  no  distant  date, 
and  with  good  relish  too. " 

"  To  be  sure,  if  his  lordship  has  a  fancy, "  said  Caleb ;  and 
re-entering  with  a  jug  of  pure  element — "  He  will  scarce  find 
such  water  ony where  as  is  drawn  frae  the  well  at  Wolf's  Crag; 
nevertheless " 

"  Nevertheless,  we  must  leave  the  Lord  Keeper  to  his  repose 
in  this  poor  chamber  of  ours,"  said  the  Master  of  Ravenswood, 
interrupting  his  talkative  domestic,  who  immediately  turning 
to  the  doorway,  with  a  profound  reverence,  prepared  to  usher 
his  master  from  the  secret  chamber. 

But  the  Lord  Keeper  preveuted  his  host's  departure. — "I 
1  See  Ancient  Hospitality.    Note  6, 


166  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

have  but  one  word  to  say  to  the  Master  of  Eavenswood,  Mr. 
Caleb,  and  I  fancy  he  will  excuse  your  waiting." 

With  a  second  reverence,  lower  than  the  former,  Caleb  with- 
drew; and  his  master  stood  motionless,  expecting,  with  con- 
siderable embarrassment,  what  was  to  close  the  events  of  a 
day  fraught  with  unexpected  incidents. 

"Master  of  Ravenswood,"  said  Sir  William  Ashton,  with 
some  embarrassment,  "  I  hope  you  understand  the  Christian 
law  too  well  to  suffer  the  sun  to  set  upon  your  anger." 

The  Master  blushed  and  replied,  "  He  had  no  occasion  that 
evening  to  exercise  the  duty  enjoined  upon  him  by  his  Chris- 
tian faith." 

"  I  should  have  thought  otherwise, "  said  his  guest,  "  con- 
sidering the  various  subjects  of  dispute  and  litigation  which 
have  unhappily  occurred  more  frequently  than  was  desirable 
or  necessary  betwixt  the  late  honourable  lord,  your  father, 
and  myself." 

"I  could  wish,  my  lord,"  said  Ravenswood,  agitated  by 
suppressed  emotion,  "  that  reference  to  these  circumstances 
should  be  made  anywhere  rather  than  under  my  father's 
roof. '' 

"  I  should  have  felt  the  delicacy  of  this  appeal  at  another 
time, "  said  Sir  W^illiam  Ashton,  "  but  now  I  must  proceed 
with  what  I  mean  to  say.  I  have  suffered  too  much  in  my 
own  mind,  from  the  false  delicacy  which  prevented  my  solicit- 
ing with  earnestness,  what  indeed  I  frequently  requested,  a 
personal  communing  with  your  father :  much  distress  of  mind 
to  him  and  to  me  might  have  been  prevented. " 

"It  is  true,"  said  Ravenswood,  after  a  moment's  reflection, 
"  I  have  heard  my  father  say  your  lordship  had  proposed  a 
personal  interview." 

"Proposed,  my  dear  Master?  I  did  indeed  propose  it;  but 
I  ought  to  have  begged,  entreated,  beseeched  it.  I  ought  to 
have  torn  away  the  veil,  which  interested  persons  had  stretched 
betwixt  us,  and  shoAvn  myself  as  I  was,  willing  to  sacrifice  a 
considerable  part  even  of  my  legal  rights,  :n  order  to  conciliate 
feelings  so  natural  as  his  must  be  allowed  to  have  been.  Let 
me  say  for  myself,  my  young  friend,  for  so  I  will  call  you, 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  167 

that  had  your  father  and  I  spent  the  same  time  together  which 
my  good  fortune  has  allowed  me  to-day  to  pass  in  your  com- 
pany, it  is  possible  the  land  might  yet  have  enjoyed  one  of 
the  most  respectable  of  its  ancient  nobility,  and  I  should  have 
been  spared  the  pain  of  parting  in  enmity  from  a  person  whose 
general  character  I  so  much  admired  and  honoured." 

He  put  his  handkerchief  to  his  eyes.  Ravenswood  also 
was  moved,  but  awaited  in  silence  the  progress  of  this  extraor- 
dinary communication. 

"  It  is  necessary, "  continued  the  Lord  Keeper,  "  and  proper 
that  you  should  understand,  that  there  have  been  many  points 
betwixt  us,  in  which,  although  I  judged  it  proper  that  there 
should  be  an  exact  ascertainment  of  my  legal  rights  by  the 
decree  of  a  court  of  justice,  yet  it  was  never  my  intention  to 
press  them  beyond  the  verge  of  equity." 

"My  lord,"  said  the  Master  of  Ravenswood,  "it  is  unneces- 
sary to  pursue  this  topic  farther.  What  the  law  will  give  you, 
or  has  given  you,  you  enjoy — or  you  shall  enjoy;  neither  my 
father  nor  I  myself  would  have  received  anything  on  the  foot- 
ing of  favour." 

"Favour!  No,  you  misunderstand  me,"  resumed  the 
Keeper ;  "  or  rather  you  are  no  lawyer.  A  right  may  be  good 
in  law,  and  ascertained  to  be  so,  which  yet  a  man  of  honour 
may  not  in  every  case  care  to  avail  himself  of." 

"  I  am  sorry  for  it,  my  lord, "  said  the  Master. 

"Nay,  nay,"  retorted  his  guest,  "you  speak  like  a  young 
counsellor ;  your  spirit  goes  before  your  wit.  There  are  many 
things  still  open  for  decision  betwixt  us.  Can  you  blame  me, 
an  old  man  desirous  of  peace,  and  in  the  castle  of  a  young 
nobleman  who  has  saved  my  daughter's  life  and  my  own,  that 
I  am  desirous,  anxiously  desirous,  that  these  should  be  settled 
on  the  most  liberal  principles?" 

The  old  man  kept  fast  hold  of  the  Master's  passive  hand  as 
he  spoke,  and  made  it  impossible  for  him,  be  his  predetermi- 
nation what  it  would,  to  return  any  other  than  an  acquiescent 
reply ;  and  wishing  his  guest  good-night,  he  postponed  farther 
conference  until  the  next  morning. 

Ravenswood  hurried  into  the  hall,  where  he  was  to  spend 


168  WAVERLEY  K0VEL8. 

the  night,  and  for  a  time  traversed  its  pavement  with  a  disor- 
dered and  rapid  pace.  His  mortal  foe  was  under  his  roof,  yet 
his  sentiments  towards  him  were  neither  those  of  a  feudal 
enemy  nor  of  a  true  Christian.  He  felt  as  if  he  could  neither 
forgive  him  in  the  oue  character,  nor  follow  forth  his  ven- 
geance in  the  other,  but  that  he  was  making  a  base  and  dis- 
honourable composition  betwixt  his  resentment  against  the 
father  and  his  affection  for  his  daughter.  He  cursed  himself, 
as  he  hurried  to  and  fro  in  the  pale  moonlight,  and  more  ruddy 
gleams  of  the  expiring  wood-fire.  He  threw  open  and  shut  the 
latticed  windows  with  violence,  as  if  alike  impatient  of  the  ad- 
mission and  exclusion  of  free  air.  At  length,  however,  the 
torrent  of  passion  foamed  off  its  madness,  and  he  fiung  him- 
self into  the  chair  which  he  proposed  as  his  place  of  repose 
for  the  night. 

"  If,  in  reality, "  such  were  the  calmer  thoughts  that  followed 
the  first  tempest  of  his  passion — "  if,  in  reality,  this  man  de- 
sires no  more  than  the  law  allows  him — if  he  is  willing  to  ad- 
just even  his  acknowledged  rights  upon  an  equitable  footing, 
what  could  be  my  father's  cause  of  complaint? — what  is 
mine?  Those  from  who  we  won  our  ancient  possessions  fell 
under  the  sword  of  my  ancestors,  and  left  lands  and  livings  to 
the  conquerors ;  we  sink  under  the  force  of  the  law,  now  too 
powerful  for  the  Scottish  chivalry.  Let  us  parley  with  the 
victors  of  the  day,  as  if  we  had  been  besieged  in  our  fortress, 
and  without  hope  of  relief.  This  man  may  be  other  than  I 
have  thought  him ;  and  his  daughter — but  I  have  resolved  not 
to  think  of  her." 

He  wrapt  his  cloak  around  him,  fell  asleep,  and  dreamed  of 
Lucy  Ashton  till  daylight  gleamed  through  the  lattices. 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  169 


CHAPTER    Xy. 

We  worldly  men,  when  we  see  friends  and  kinsmen 

Past  hope  sunk  in  their  fortunes,  lend  no  hand 

To  lift  them  up,  but  rather  set  our  feet 

Upon  their  heads  to  press  them  to  the  bottom, 

As  I  must  yield  Avith  you  I  practised  it ; 

But  now  I  see  you  in  a  way  to  rise, 

I  can  and  will  assist  you. 

New  Way  to  Pay  Old  Debts. 

The  Lord  Keeper  carried  with  him,  to  a  couch  harder  than 
he  was  accustomed  to  stretch  himself  upon,  the  same  ambitious 
thoughts  and  political  perplexities  which  drive  sleep  from  the 
softest  down  that  ever  spread  a  bed  of  state.  He  had  sailed 
long  enough  amid  the  contending  tides  and  currents  of  the 
time  to  be  sensible  of  their  peril,  and  of  the  necessity  of 
trimming  his  vessel  to  the  prevailiog  wind,  if  he  would  have 
her  escape  shipwreck  in  the  storm.  The  nature  of  his  talents, 
and  the  timorousness  of  disposition  connected  with  them,  had 
made  him  assume  the  pliability  of  the  versatile  old  Earl  of 
Northampton,  who  explained  the  art  by  which  he  kept  his 
ground  during  all  the  changes  of  state,  from  the  reign  of 
Henry  VIII.  to  that  of  Elizabeth,  by  the  frank  avowal,  that 
he  was  born  of  the  willow,  not  of  the  oak.  It  had  according- 
ly been  Sir  William  Ashton's  policy,  on  all  occasions,  to  watch 
the  changes  in  the  political  horizon,  and,  ere  yet  the  conflict 
was  decided,  to  negotiate  some  interest  for  himself  with  the 
party  most  likely  to  prove  victorious.  His  time-serving  dis- 
position was  well  known,  and  excited  the  contempt  of  the 
more  daring  leaders  of  both  factions  in  the  state.  But  his 
talents  were  of  a  useful  and  practical  kind,  and  his  legal 
knowledge  held  in  high  estimation;  and  they  so  far  coun- 
terbalanced other  deficiencies  that  those  in  power  were  glad 
to  use  and  to  reward,  though  without  absolutely  trusting  or 
greatly  respecting,  him. 

The  Marquis  of  A had  used  his  utmost  influence  to 

effect  a  change  in  the  Scottish  cabinet,  and  his  schemes  had 


170  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

been  of  late  so  well  laid  and  so  ably  supported,  that  there  ap- 
peared a  very  great  chance  of  his  proving  ultimately  success- 
ful. He  did  not,  however,  feel  so  strong  or  so  confident  as 
to  neglect  any  means  of  drawing  recruits  to  his  standard. 
The  acquisition  of  the  Lord  Keeper  was  deemed  of  some  im- 
portance, and  a  friend,  perfectly  acquainted  with  his  circum- 
stances and  character,  became  responsible  for  his  political 
conversion. 

When  this  gentleman  arrived  at  Eavenswood  Castle  upon  a 
visit,  the  real  purpose  of  which  was  disguised  under  general 
courtesy,  he  found  the  prevailing  fear  which  at  present  beset 
the  Lord  Keeper  was  that  of  danger  to  his  own  person  from 
the  Master  of  Eavenswood.  The  language  which  the  blind 
sibyl,  Old  Alice,  had  used;  the  sudden  appearance  of  the 
Master,  armed,  and  within  his  precincts,  immediately  after 
he  had  been  warned  against  danger  from  him ;  the  cold  and 
haughty  return  received  in  exchange  for  the  acknowledgments 
with  which  he  loaded  him  for  his  timely  protection,  had  all 
made  a  strong  impression  on  his  imagination. 

So  soon  as  the  Marquis's  political  agent  found  how  the 
wind  sate,  he  began  to  insinuate  fears  and  doubts  of  another 
kind,  scarce  less  calculated  to  affect  the  Lord  Keeper.  He 
inquired  with  seeming  interest,  whether  the  proceedings  in 
Sir  William's  complicated  litigation  with  the  Eavenswood 
family  were  out  of  court,  and  settled  without  the  possibility 
of  appeal.  The  Lord  Keeper  answered  in  the  affirmative; 
but  his  interrogator  was  too  well  informed  to  be  imposed 
upon.  He  pointed  out  to  him,  by  unanswerable  arguments, 
that  some  of  the  most  important  points  which  had  been  de- 
cided in  his  favour  against  the  house  of  Eavenswood  were 
liable,  under  the  Treaty  of  Union,  to  be  reviewed  by  the 
British  House  of  Peers,  a  court  of  equity  of  which  the  Lord 
Keeper  felt  an  instinctive  dread.  This  course  came  instead 
of  an  appeal  to  the  old  Scottish  Parliament,  or,  as  it  was 
technically  termed,  "  a  protestation  for  remeid  in  law. " 

The  Lord  Keeper,  after  he  had  'for  some  time  disputed  the 
legality  of  such  a  proceeding,  was  compelled,  at  length,  to 
comfort  himself  with  the  improbability  of  the  young  Master 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  I7l 

of  Ravenswood's  finding  friends  in  parliament  capable  of  stir- 
ring in  so  weighty  an  affair. 

"  Do  not  comfort  yourself  with  that  false  hope, "  said  his 
wily  friend ;  "  it  is  possible  that,  in  the  next  session  of  Parlia- 
ment, young  Ravenswood  may  find  more  friends  and  favour 
even  than  your  lordship." 

"  That  would  be  a  sight  worth  seeing, "  said  the  Keeper, 
scornfully. . 

"And  yet,"  said  his  friend,  "such  things  have  been  seen 
ere  now,  and  in  our  own  time.  There  are  many  at  the  head 
of  affairs  even  now  that  a  few  years  ago  were  under  hiding 
for  their  lives ;  and  many  a  man  now  dines  on  plate  of  silver 
that  was  fain  to  eat  his  crowdy  without  a  bicker ;  and  many  a 
high  head  has  been  brought  full  low  among  us  in  as  short  a 
space.  Scott  of  Scotstarvet's  Staggering  State  of  Scots  States- 
men, of  which  curious  memoir  you  showed  me  a  manuscript, 
has  been  outstaggered  in  our  time." 

The  Lord  Keeper  answered  with  a  deep  sigh,  "  That  these 
mutations  were  no  new  sights  in  Scotland,  and  had  been  wit- 
nessed long  before  the  time  of  the  satirical  author  he  had 
quoted.  It  was  many  a  long  year, "  he  said,  "  since  Fordun 
had  quoted  as  an  ancient  proverb,  ^  Neque  dives,  7ieque  fort  is, 
sed  nee  sapiens  Scotus,  ijrcedominante  invidia,  diu  durahit  in 
terra. '  " 

"And  be  assured,  my  esteemed  friend,"  was  the  answer, 
"that  even  your  long  services  to  the  state,  or  deep  legal 
knowledge,  will  not  save  you,  or  render  your  estate  stable,  if 

the  Marquis  of  A comes  in  with  a  party  in  the  British 

Parliament.  You  know  that  the  deceased  Lord  Ravenswood 
was  his  near  ally,  his  lady  being  fifth  in  descent  from  the 
Knight  of  Tillibardine ;  and  I  am  well  assured  that  he  will 
take  young  Ravenswood  by  the  hand,  and  be  his  very  good 
lord  and  kinsman.  Why  should  he  not?  The  Master  is  an 
active  and  stirring  young  fellow,  able  to  help  himself  with 
tongue  and  hands;  and  it  is  such  as  he  that  finds  friends 
among  their  kindred,  and  not  those  unarmed  and  unable 
Mephibosheths  that  are  sure  to  be  a  burden  to  every  one  that 
takes  them  up.     And  so,  if  these  Ravenswood  cases  be  called 


172  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

over  the  coals  in  the  House  of  Peers,  you  will  find  that  the 
Marquis  will  have  a  crow  to  pluck  with  you." 

"  That  would  be  an  evil  requital, "  said  the  Lord  Keeper, 
"for  my  long  services  to  the  state,  and  the  ancient  respect 
in  which  I  have  held  his  lordship's  honourable  family  and 
person. " 

"Ay,  but,"  rejoined  the  agent  of  the  Marquis,  "  it  is  in  vain 
to  look  back  on  past  service  and  auld  respect,  my  lord ;  it  will 
be  present  service  and  immediate  proofs  of  regard  which, 
in  these  sliddery  times,  will  be  expected  by  a  man  like  the 
Marquis." 

The  Lord  Keeper  now  saw  the  full  drift  of  his  friend's  argu- 
ment, but  he  was  too  cautious  to  return  any  positive  answer. 

"  He  knew  not,"  he  said,  "  the  service  which  the  Lord  Mar- 
quis could  expect  from  one  of  his  limited  abilities,  that  had 
not  always  stood  at  his  command,  still  saving  and  reserving 
his  duty  to  his  king  and  country." 

Having  thus  said  nothing,  while  he  seemed  to  say  every- 
thing, for  the  exception  was  calculated  to  cover  whatever  he 
might  afterwards  think  proper  to  bring  under  it.  Sir  William 
Ashton  changed  the  conversation,  nor  did  he  again  permit  the 
same  topic  to  be  introduced.  His  guest  departed,  without 
having  brought  the  wily  old  statesman  the  length  of  commit- 
ting himself,  or  of  pledging  himself  to  any  future  line  of  con- 
duct, but  with  the  certainty  that  he  had  alarmed  his  fears  in 
a  most  sensible  point,  and  laid  a  foundation  for  future  and 
farther  treaty. 

When  he  rendered  an  account  of  his  negotiation  to  the  Mar- 
quis, they  both  agreed  that  the  Keeper  ought  not  to  be  permitted 
to  relapse  into  security,  and  that  he  should  be  plied  with  new 
subjects  of  alarm,  especially  during  the  absence  of  his  lady. 
They  were  well  aware  that  her  proud,  vindictive,  and  pre- 
dominating spirit  would  be  likely  to  supply  him  with  the 
courage  in  which  he  was  deficient;  that  she  was  immovably 
attached  to  the  party  now  in  power,  with  whom  she  main- 
tained a  close  correspondence  and  alliance;  and  that  she 
hated,  without  fearing,  the  Eavenswood  family  (whose  more 
ancient  dignity  threw  discredit  on  the  newly  acquired  gran- 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  173 

deur  of  her  husband)  to  such  a  degree  that  she  would  have 
perilled  the  interest  of  her  own  house  to  have  the  prospect  of 
altogether  crushing  that  of  her  enemy. 

But  Lady  Ashton  was  now  absent.  The  business  which 
had  long  detained  her  in  Edinburgh  had  afterwards  induced 
her  to  travel  to  London,  not  without  the  hope  that  she  might 
contribute  her  share  to  disconcert  the  intrigues  of  the  Mar- 
quis at  court;  for  she  stood  high  in  favour  with  the  celebrated 
Sarah  Duchess  ®f  Marlborough,  to  whom,  in  point  of  character, 
she  bore  considerable  resemblance.  It  was  necessary  to  press 
her  husband  hard  before  her  return;  and,  as  a  preparatory 
step,  the  Marquis  wrote  to  the  Master  of  Ravenswood  the  let- 
ter which  we  rehearsed  in  a  former  chapter.  It  was  cau- 
tiously worded,  so  as  to  leave  it  in  the  power  of  the  writer 
hereafter  to  take  as  deep  or  as  slight  an  interest  in  the  for- 
tunes of  his  kinsman  as  the  progress  of  his  own  schemes 
might  require.  But  however  unwilling,  as  a  statesman,  the 
Marquis  might  be  to  commit  himself,  or  assume  the  character 
of  a  patron,  while  he  had  nothing  to  give  away,  it  must  be 
said  to  his  honour  that  he  felt  a  strong  inclination  effectually 
to  befriend  the  Master  of  Ravenswood,  as  well  as  to  use  his 
name  as  a  means  of  alarming  the  terrors  of  the  Lord  Keeper. 

As  the  messenger  who  carried  this  letter  was  to  pass  near 
the  house  of  the  Lord  Keeper,  he  had  it  in  direction  that,  in 
the  village  adjoining  to  the  park-gate  of  the  castle,  his  horse 
should  lose  a  shoe,  and  that,  while  it  was  replaced  by  the 
smith  of  the  place,  he  should  express  the  utmost  regret  for 
the  necessary  loss  of  time,  and  in  the  vehemence  of  his  impa- 
tience give  it  to  be  understood  that  he  was  bearing  a  message 

from  the  Marquis  of  A to  the  Master  of  Ravenswood  upon 

a  matter  of  life  and  death. 

This  news,  with  exaggerations,  was  speedily  carried  from 
various  quarters  to  the  ears  of  the  Lord  Keeper,  and  each  re- 
porter dwelt  upon  the  extreme  impatience  of  the  courier,  and 
the  surprising  short  time  in  which  he  had  executed  his  jour- 
ney. The  anxious  statesman  heard  in  silence;  but  in  private 
Lockhard  received  orders  to  watch  the  courier  on  his  return, 
to  waylay  him  in  the  village,  to  ply  him  with  liquor,  if  pos- 


174  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

sible,  and  to  use  all  means,  fair  or  foul,  to  learn  the  contents 
of  the  letter  of  which  he  was  the  bearer.  But  as  this  plot  had 
been  foreseen,  the  messenger  returned  by  a  different  and  dis- 
tant road,  and  thus  escaped  the  snare  that  was  laid  for  him. 

After  he  had  been  in  vain  expected  for  some  time,  Mr. 
Dingwall  had  orders  to  make  especial  inquiry  among  his 
clients  of  Wolf's  Hope,  whether  such  a  domestic  belonging  to 
the  Marquis  of  A had  actually  arrived  at  the  neighbour- 
ing castle.  This  was  easily  ascertained;  for  Caleb  had  been 
in  the  village  one  morning  by  five  o'clock,  to  borrow  "twa 
chappins  of  ale  and  a  kipper"  for  the  messenger's  refresh- 
ment, and  the  poor  fellow  had  been  ill  for  twenty -four  hours 
at  Luckie  Sma' trash's,  in  consequence  of  dining  upon  "saut 
saumon  and  sour  drink."  So  that  the  existence  of  a  corre- 
spondence betwixt  the  Marquis  and  his  distressed  kinsman, 
which  Sir  William  Ashton  had  sometimes  treated  as  a  bug- 
bear, was  proved  beyond  the  possibility  of  further  doubt. 

The  alarm  of  the  Lord  Keeper  became  very  serious ;  since 
the  Claim  of  Eight,  the  power  of  appealing  from  the  decisions 
of  the  civil  court  to  the  Estates  of  Parliament,  which  had 
formerly  been  held  incompetent,  had  in  many  instances  been 
claimed,  and  in  some  allowed,  and  he  had  no  small  reason  to 
apprehend  the  issue,  if  the  English  House  of  Lords  should  be 
disposed  to  act  upon  an  appeal  from  the  Master  of  Eavens- 
wood  "  for  remeid  in  law. "  It  would  resolve  into  an  equitable 
claim,  and  be  decided,  perhaps,  upon  the  broad  principles  of 
justice,  which  were  not  quite  so  favourable  to  the  Lord  Keeper 
as  those  of  strict  law.  Besides,  judging,  though  most  inac- 
curately, from  courts  which  he  had  himself  known  in  the  un- 
happy times  preceding  the  Scottish  Union,  the  Keeper  might 
have  too  much  right  to  think  that,  in  the  House  to  which  his 
lawsuits  were  to  be  transferred,  the  old  maxim  might  prevail 
which  was  too  well  recognised  in  Scotland  in  former  times : 
"Show  me  the  man,  and  I'll  show  you  the  law."  The  high 
and  unbiassed  character  of  English  judicial  proceedings  was 
then  little  known  in  Scotland,  and  the  extension  of  them  to 
that  country  was  one  of  the  most  valuable  advantages  which 
it  gained  by  the  Union.     But  this  was  a  blessing  which  the 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  175 

Lord  Keeper,  who  had  lived  under  another  system,  could  not 
have  the  means  of  foreseeing.  In  the  loss  of  his  political 
consequence,  he  anticipated  the  loss  of  his  lawsuit.  Mean- 
while, every  report  which  reached  him  served  to  render  the 
success  of  the  Marquis's  intrigues  the  more  probable,  and  the 
Lord  Keeper  began  to  think  it  indispensable  that  he  should 
look  round  for  some  kind  of  protection  against  the  coming 
storm.  The  timidity  of  his  temper  induced  him  to  adopt 
measures  of  compromise  and  conciliation.  The  affair  of  the 
wild  bull,  properly  managed,  might,  he  thought,  he  made  to 
facilitate  a  personal  communication  and  reconciliation  betwixt 
the  Master  and  himself.  He  would  then  learn,  if  possible, 
what  his  own  ideas  were  of  the  extent  of  his  rights,  and  the 
means  of  enforcing  them;  and  perhaj)s  matters  might  be 
brought  to  a  compromise,  where  one  party  was  wealthy  and 
the  other  so  very  poor.  A  reconciliation  with  Eavenswood 
was  likely  to  give  him  an  opportunity  to  play  his  own  game 
with  the  Marquis  of  A .  "  And  besides, "  said  he  to  him- 
self, "  it  will  be  an  act  of  generosity  to  raise  up  the  heir  of 
this  distressed  family ;  and  if  he  is  to  be  warmly  and  effectu- 
ally befriended  by  the  new  government,  who  knows  but  my 
virtue  may  prove  its  own  reward?" 

Thus  thought  Sir  William  Ashton,  covering  with  no  un- 
usual self-delusion  his  interested  views  with  a  hue  of  virtue; 
and  having  attained  this  point,  his  fancy  strayed  still  farther. 
He  began  to  bethink  himself,  "That  if  Ravenswood  was  to 
have  a  distinguished  place  of  power  and  trust,  and  if  such  a 
union  would  sopite  the  heavier  part  of  his  unadjusted  claims, 
there  might  be  worse  matches  for  his  daughter  Lucy:  the 
Master  might  be  reponed  against  the  attainder.  Lord  Ravens- 
wood  was  an  ancient  title,  and  the  alliance  would,  in  some 
measure,  legitimate  his  own  possession  of  the  greater  part  of 
the  Master's  spoils,  and  make  the  surrender  of  the  rest  a  sub- 
ject of  less  bitter  regret." 

With  these  mingled  and  multifarious  plans  occupying  his 
head,  the  Lord  Keeper  availed  himself  of  my  Lord  Bittle- 
brains's  repeated  invitation  to  his  residence,  and  thus  came 
within  a  very  few  miles  of  Wolf's  Crag.     Here  he  found  the 


176  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

lord  of  the  mansion  absent,  but  was  courteously  received  by 
the  lady,  who  expected  her  husband's  immediate  return.  She 
expressed  her  particular  delight  at  seeing  Miss  Ashton,  and 
appointed  the  hounds  to  be  taken  out  for  the  Lord  Keeper's 
special  amusement.  He  readily  entered  into  the  proposal,  as 
giving  him  an  opportunity  to  reconnoitre  Wolf's  Crag,  and 
perhaps  to  make  some  acquaintance  with  the  owner,  if  he 
should  be  tempted  from  his  desolate  mansion  by  the  chase. 
Lockhard  had  his  orders  to  endeavour  on  his  part  to  make 
some  acquaintance  with  the  inmates  of  the  castle,  and  we 
have  seen  how  he  played  his  part. 

The  accidental  storm  did  more  to  further  the  Lord  Keeper's 
plan  of  forming  a  personal  acquaintance  with  young  Ravens- 
wood  than  his  most  sanguine  expectations  could  have  antici- 
pated. His  fear  of  the  young  nobleman's  personal  resentment 
had  greatly  decreased  since  he  considered  him  as  formidable 
from  his  legal  claims  and  the  means  he  might  have  of  enforcing 
them.  But  although  he  thought,  not  unreasonably,  that  only 
desperate  circumstances  drove  men  on  desperate  measures,  it 
was  not  without  a  secret  terror,  which  shook  his  heart  within 
him,  that  he  first  felt  himself  inclosed  within  the  desolate 
Tower  of  Wolf's  Crag;  a  place  so  well  fitted,  from  solitude 
and  strength,  to  be  a  scene  of  violence  and  vengeance.  The 
stern  reception  at  first  given  to  them  by  the  Master  of  Ravens- 
wood,  and  the  difficulty  he  felt  in  explaining  to  that  mjured 
nobleman  what  guests  were  under  the  shelter  of  his  roof,  did 
not  soothe  these  alarms;  so  that  when  Sir  William  Ashton 
heard  the  door  of  the  courtyard  shut  behind  him  with  vio- 
lence, the  words  of  Alice  rung  in  his  ears,  "  That  he  had  drawn 
on  matters  too  hardly  with  so  fierce  a  race  as  those  of  Ravens- 
wood,  and  that  they  would  bide  their  time  to  be  avenged. " 

The  subsequent  frankness  of  the  Master's  hospitality,  as 
their  acquaintance  increased,  abated  the  aj)prehensions  these 
recollections  were  calculated  to  excite ;  and  it  did  not  escape 
Sir  William  Ashton,  that  it  was  to  Lucy's  grace  and  beauty 
he  owed  the  change  in  their  host's  behavior. 

All  these  thoughts  thronged  upon  him  when  he  took  posses- 
sion of  the  secret  chamber.     The  iron  lamp,  the  unfurnished 


THE  BRIDE   OF   LAMMERMOOR.  177 

apartment,  more  resembling  a  prison  than  a  place  of  ordinary 
repose,  the  hoarse  and  ceaseless  sound  of  the  waves  rushing 
against  the  base  of  the  rock  on  which  the  castle  was  founded, 
saddened  and  perplexed  his  mind.  To  his  own  successful 
machinations,  the  ruin  of  the  family  had  been  in  a  great 
measure  owmg,  but  his  disposition  was  crafty,  and  not  cruel; 
so  that  actually  to  witness  the  desolation  and  distress  he  had 
himself  occasioned  was  as  painful  to  him  as  it  would  be  to  the 
humane  mistress  of  a  family  to  superintend  in  person  the  exe- 
cution of  the  lambs  and  poultry  which  are  killed  by  her  own 
directions.  At  the  same  time,  when  he  thought  of  the  alter- 
native of  restoring  to  Ravenswood  a  large  proportion  of  his 
spoils,  or  of  adopting,  as  an  ally  and  member  of  his  own  fam- 
ily, the  heir  of  this  impoverished  house,  he  felt  as  the  spider 
may  be  supposed  to  do  when  his  whole  web,  the  intricacies  of 
which  had  been  planned  with  so  much  art,  is  destroyed  by  the 
chance  sweep  of  a  broom.  And  then,  if  he  should  commit 
himself  too  far  in  this  matter,  it  gave  rise  to  a  perilous  ques- 
tion, which  many  a  good  husband,  when  under  temptation  to 
act  as  a  free  agent,  has  asked  himself  without  being  able  to 
return  a  satisfactory  answer:  "What  will  my  wife — what 
will  Lady  Ashton  say?"  On  the  whole,  he  came  at  length  to 
the  resolution  in  which  minds  of  a  weaker  cast  so  often  take 
refuge.  He  resolved  to  watch  events,  to  take  advantage  of 
circumstances  as  they  occurred,  and  regulate  his  conduct  ac- 
cordingly. In  this  spirit  of  temporising  policy,  he  at  length 
composed  his  mind  to  rest. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 


A  slight  note  I  have  about  me  for  you,  for  the  delivery  of  which  you  must 
excuse  me.  It  is  an  offer  that  friendship  calls  upon  me  to  do,  and  no 
way  offensive  to  you,  since  I  desire  nothing  but  right  upon  both  sides. 

King  and  no  King. 

Whex  Ravenswood  and  his  guest  met  in  the  morning,  the 
gloom  of  the  Master's  spirit  had  in  part  returned.     He,  also, 
had  passed  a  night  rather  of  reflection  that  of  slumber;  and 
12 


178  WAVERLET  NOVELS. 

the  feelings  which  he  could  not  but  entertain  towards  Lucy 
Ashton  had  to  support  a  severe  conflict  against  those  which 
he  had  so  long  nourished  against  her  father.  To  clasp  in 
friendship  the  hand  of  the  enemy  of  his  house,  to  entertain 
him  under  his  roof,  to  exchange  with  him  the  courtesies  and 
the  kindness  of  domestic  familiarity,  was  a  degradation  which 
his  proud  spirit  could  not  be  bent  to  without  a  struggle. 

But  the  ice  being  once  broken,  the  Lord  Keeper  was  re- 
solved it  should  not  have  time  again  to  freeze.  It  had  been 
part  of  his  plan  to  stun  and  confuse  Eavenswood's  ideas,  by 
a  complicated  and  technical  statement  of  the  matters  which 
had  been  in  debate  betwixt  their  families,  justly  thinking 
that  it  would  be  difficult  for  a  youth  of  his  age  to  follow  the 
expositions  of  a  practical  lawyer,  concerning  actions  of  compt 
and  reckoning,  and  of  multiplepoindings,  and  adjudications 
and  wadsets,  proper  and  improper,  and  poindings  of  the 
ground,  and  declarations  of  the  expiry  of  the  legal.  "  Thus," 
thought  Sir  William,  "  I  shall  have  all  the  grace  of  appearing 
perfectly  communicative,  while  my  party  will  derive  very  little 
advantage  from  anything  I  may  tell  him."  He  therefore  took 
Ravenswood  aside  into  the  deep  recess  of  a  window  in  the 
hall,  and  resuming  the  discourse  of  the  proceding  evening, 
expressed  a  hope  that  his  young  friend  would  assume  some 
patience,  in  order  to  hear  him  enter  in  a  minute  and  explana- 
tory detail  of  those  unfortunate  circumstances  in  which  his 
late  honourable  father  had  stood  at  variance  with  the  Lord 
Keeper.  The  Master  of  Ravenswood  coloured  highly,  but 
was  silent ;  and  the  Lord  Keeper,  though  not  greatly  approv- 
ing the  sudden  heightenmg  of  his  auditor's  complexion,  com- 
menced the  history  of  a  bond  for  twenty  thousand  merks,  ad- 
vanced by  his  father  to  the  father  of  Allan  Lord  Ravenswood, 
and  was  proceeding  to  detail  the  executorial  proceedings  by 
which  this  large  sum  had  been  rendered  a  d eh itum  fundi,  when 
he  was  interrupted  by  the  Master. 

"  It  is  not  in  this  place,"  he  said,  "  that  I  can  hear  Sir  Wil- 
liam Ashton' s  explanation  of  the  matters  in  question  between 
us.  It  is  not  here,  where  my  father  died  of  a  broken  heart, 
that  I  can  with  decency  or  temper  investigate  the  cause  of  his 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  179 

distress.  I  might  remember  that  I  was  a  son,  and  forget  the 
duties  of  a  host.  A  time,  however,  there  must  come,  when 
these  things  shall  be  discussed,  in  a  place  and  in  a  presence 
where  both  of  us  will  have  equal  freedom  to  speak  and  to 
hear." 

"  Any  time,"  the  Lord  Keeper  said,  ''  any  place,  was  alike  to 
those  who  sought  nothing  but  justice.  Yet  it  would  seem 
he  was,  in  fairness,  entitled  to  some  premonition  respecting 
the  grounds  upon  which  the  Master  proposed  to  impugn  the 
whole  train  of  legal  proceedings,  which  had  been  so  well  and 
ripely  advised  in  the  only  courts  competent." 

"  Sir  William  Ashton, "  answered  the  Master,  with  warmth, 
"  the  lands  which  you  now  occupy  were  granted  to  my  remote 
ancestor  for  services  done  with  his  sword  against  the  English 
invaders.  How  they  have  glided  from  us  by  a  train  of  pro- 
ceedings that  seem  to  be  neither  sale,  nor  mortgage,  nor  ad- 
judication for  debt,  but  a  nondescript  and  entangled  mixture 
of  all  these  rights;  how  annual  rent  has  been  accumulated 
upon  principal,  and  no  nook  or  coign  of  legal  advantage  left 
unoccupied,  until  our  interest  in  our  hereditary  property  seems 
to  have  melted  away  like  an  icicle  in  thaw — all  this  you  un- 
derstand better  than  I  do.  I  am  willing,  however,  to  sup- 
pose, from  the  frankness  of  your  conduct  towards  me,  that 
I  may  in  a  great  measure  have  mistaken  your  personal  charac- 
ter, and  that  things  may  have  appeared  right  and  fitting  to 
you,  a  skilful  and  practised  lawyer,  which  to  my  ignorant 
understanding  seem  very  little  short  of  injustice  and  gross 
oppression." 

"And  you,  my  dear  Master,"  answered  Sir  William — "you, 
permit  me  to  say,  have  been  equally  misrepresented  to  me.  I 
was  taught  to  believe  you  a  fierce,  imperious,  hot-headed 
youth,  ready,  at  the  slightest  provocation,  to  throw  your 
sword  into  the  scales  of  justice,  and  to  appeal  to  those  rude 
and  forcible  measures  from  which  civil  polity  has  long  pro- 
tected the  people  of  Scotland.  Then,  since  we  were  mutually 
mistaken  in  each  other,  why  should  not  the  young  nobleman 
be  willing  to  listen  to  the  old  lawyer,  while,  at  least,  he  ex- 
plains the  points  of  difference  betwixt  them?" 


180  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

"  Ko,  my  lord, "  answered  Ravenswood ;  "  it  is  in  the  House 
of  British  Peers/  whose  honour  must  be  equal  to  their  rank — 
it  is  in  the  court  of  last  resort  that  we  must  parley  together. 
The  belted  lords  of  Britain,  her  ancient  peers,  must  decide, 
if  it  is  their  will  that  a  house,  not  the  least  noble  of  their 
members,  shall  be  stripped  of  their  possessions,  the  reward  of 
the  patriotism  of  generations,  as  the  pawn  of  a  wretched  me- 
chanic becomes  forfeit  to  the  usurer  the  instant  the  hour  of 
redemption  has  passed  away.  If  they  yield  to  the  grasping 
severity  of  the  creditor,  and  to  the  gnawing  usury  that  eats 
into  our  lands  as  moths  into  a  raunent,  it  will  be  of  more  evil 
consequence  to  them  and  their  posterity  than  to  Edgar  Ravens- 
wood.  1  shall  still  have  my  sword  and  my  cloak,  and  can 
follow  the  profession  of  arms  wherever  a  trumpet  shall 
sound. " 

As  he  pronounced  these  words,  in  a  firm  yet  melancholy 
tone,  he  raised  his  eyes,  and  suddenly  encountered  those  of 
Lucy  Ashton,  who  had  stolen  unawares  on  their  interview, 
and  observed  her  looks  fastened  on  them  with  an  expression 
of  enthusiastic  interest  and  admiration,  which  had  wrapt  her 
for  the  moment  beyond  the  fear  of  discovery.  The  noble 
form  and  fine  features  of  Ravenswood,  fired  with  the  pride  of 
birth  and  sense  of  internal  dignity,  the  mellow  and  expressive 
tones  of  his  voice,  the  desolate  state  of  his  fortunes,  and  the 
indifference  with  which  he  seemed  to  endure  and  to  dare  the 
worst  that  might  befall,  rendered  him  a  dangerous  object  of 
contemplation  for  a  maiden  already  too  much  disposed  to 
dwell  upon  recollections  connected  with  him.  When  their 
eyes  encountered  each  other,  both  blushed  deeply,  conscious 
of  some  strong  internal  emotion,  and  shunned  again  to  meet 
each  other's  look.  Sir  William  Ashton  had,  of  course,  close- 
ly watched  the  expression  of  their  countenances.  "  I  need 
fear,"  said  he  internally,  "neither  Parliament  nor  ]3rotesta- 
tion ;  I  have  an  effectual  mode  of  reconciling  myself  with  this 
hot-tempered  young  fellow,  in  case  he  shall  become  formid- 
able. The  present  object  is,  at  all  events,  to  avoid  commit- 
ting ourselves.  The  hook  is  fixed ;  we  will  not  strain  the  line 
'  See  Appeal  to  Parliament.    Note  7. 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  181 

too  soon :  it  is  as  well  to  reserve  the  privilege  of  slipping  it 
loose,  if  we  do  not  find  the  fish  worth  landing." 

In  this  selfish  and  cruel  calculation  upon  the  supposed  at- 
tachment of  Ravenswood  to  Lucy,  he  was  so  far  from  con- 
sidering the  pain  he  might  give  to  the  former,  by  thus  dally- 
ing with  his  affections,  that  he  even  did  not  think  upon  the 
risk  of  involving  his  own  daughter  in  the  perils  of  an  unfor- 
tunate passion ;  as  if  her  predilection,  which  could  not  escape 
his  attention,  were  like  the  flame  of  a  taper  which  might  be 
lighted  or  extinguished  at  pleasure.  But  Providence  had 
prepared  a  dreadful  requital  for  this  keen  observer  of  human 
passions,  who  had  spent  his  life  in  securing  advantages  to 
himself  by  artfully  working  upon  the  passions  of  others. 

Caleb  Balderstone  now  came  to  announce  that  breakfast  was 
prepared  j  for  in  those  days  of  substantial  feeding,  the  relics 
of  the  supper  simply  furnished  forth  the  morning  meal. 
Neither  did  he  forget  to  present  to  the  Lord  Keeper,  with 
great  reverence,  a  morning  draught  in  a  large  pewter  cup, 
garnished  with  leaves  of  parsley  and  scurvy-grass.  He  craved 
pardon,  of  course,  for  having  omitted  to  serve  it  in  the  great 
silver  standing  cup  as  behoved,  being  that  it  was  at  present 
in  a  silversmith's  in  Edinburgh,  for  the  purpose  of  being  over- 
laid with  gilt. 

"In  Edinburgh  like  enough,"  said  Eavenswood;  "but  in 
what  place,  or  for  what  purpose,  I  am  afraid  neither  you  nor 
I  know." 

"Aweel!"  said  Caleb,  peevishly,  "there's  a  man  standing 
at  the  gate  already  this  morning — that's  ae  thing  that  I  ken. 
Does  your  honour  ken  whether  ye  will  speak  wi'  him  or  no?" 

"  Does  he  wish  to  speak  with  me,  Caleb?" 

"Less  will  no  serve  him,"  said  Caleb;  "but  ye  had  best 
take  a  visie  of  him  through  the  wicket  before  opening  the 
gate;  it's  no  every  ane  we  suld  let  into  this  castle." 

"What!  do  you  suppose  him  to  be  a  messenger  come  to 
arrest  me  for  debt?"  said  Ravenswood. 

"  A  messenger  arrest  your  honour  for  debt,  and  in  your 
Castle  of  Wolf's  Crag!  Your  honour  is  jesting  wi'  auld  Caleb 
this  morning."     However,  he  whispered  in  his  ear,  as  he  fol- 


182  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

lowed  him  out,  "  I  would  be  loth  to  do  ony  decent  man  a  pre- 
judice in  your  honour's  gude  opinion;  but  I  would  tak  twa 
looks  o'  that  chield  before  I  let  him  within  these  walls." 

He  was  not  an  officer  of  the  law,  however ;  being  no  less  a 
person  than  Captain  Craigengelt,  with  his  nose  as  red  as  a 
comfortable  cup  of  brandy  could  make  it,  his  laced  cocked  hat 
set  a  little  aside  upon  the  top  of  his  black  riding  periwig,  a 
sword  by  his  side  and  pistols  at  his  holsters,  and  his  person 
arrayed  in  a  riding  suit,  laid  over  with  tarnished  lace — the 
very  moral  of  one  who  would  say,  "  Stand  to  a  true  man. " 

When  the  Master  had  recognised  him,  he  ordered  the  gates 
to  be  opened.  "I  suppose,"  he  said,  "Captain  Craigengelt, 
there  are  no  such  weighty  matters  betwixt  you  and  me,  but 
may  be  discussed  in  this  place.  I  have  company  in  the  castle 
at  present,  and  the  terms  upon  which  we  last  parted  must  ex- 
cuse my  asking  you  to  make  part  of  them." 

Craigengelt,  although  possessing  the  very  perfection  of  im- 
pudence, was  somewhat  abashed  by  this  unfavourable  recep- 
tion. "He  had  no  intention,"  he  said,  "to  force  himself 
upon  the  Master  of  Ravenswood's  hospitality;  he  was  in  the 
honourable  service  of  bearing  a  message  to  him  from  a  friend, 
otherwise  the  Master  of  Ravenswood  should  not  have  had  rea- 
son to  complain  of  this  intrusion." 

"Let  it  be  short,  sir,"  said  the  Master,  "for  that  will  be 
the  best  apology.  Who  is  the  gentleman  who  is  so  fortunate 
as  to  have  your  services  as  a  messenger?" 

"  My  friend,  Mr.  Hayston  of  Bucklaw, "  answered  Craigen- 
gelt, with  conscious  importance,  and  that  confidence  which 
the  acknowledged  courage  of  his  principal  inspired,  "  who 
conceives  himself  to  have  been  treated  by  you  with  something 
much  short  of  the  respect  which  he  had  reason  to  demand, 
and,  therefore  is  resolved  to  exact  satisfaction.  I  bring  with 
me, "  said  he,  taking  a  piece  of  paper  out  of  his  pocket,  "  the 
precise  length  of  his  sword;  and  he  requests  you  will  meet 
him,  accompanied  by  a  friend,  and  equally  armed,  at  any 
place  within  a  mile  of  the  castle,  when  I  shall  give  attendance 
as  umpire,   or  second,  on  his  behoof." 

"Satisfaction!    and   equal    arms!"    repeated   Ravenswood, 


THE   BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  183 

who,  the  reader  will  recollect,  had  no  reason  to  suppose  he 
had  given  the  slightest  offence  to  his  late  inmate;  "upon  my 
word,  Captain  Craigengelt,  either  you  have  invented  the  most 
improbable  falsehood  that  ever  came  into  the  mind  of  such  a 
person,  or  your  morning  draught  has  been  somewhat  of  the 
strongest.  What  could  persuade  Bucklaw  to  send  me  such  a 
message?" 

"  For  that,  sir, "  replied  Craigengelt,  "  I  am  desired  to  refer 
you  to  what,  in  duty  to  my  friend,  I  am  to  term  your  inhos- 
pitality  in  excluding  him  from  your  house,  without  reasons 
assigned." 

"  It  is  impossible, "  replied  the  Master  5  "  he  cannot  be  such 
a  fool  as  to  interpret  actual  necessity  as  an  insult.  Nor  do  I 
believe  that,  knowing  my  opinion  of  you,  Captain,  he  would 
have  employed  the  services  of  so  slight  and  inconsiderable  a 
person  as  yourself  upon  such  an  errand,  as  I  certainly  could 
expect  no  man  of  honour  to  act  with  you  in  the  office  of  um- 
pire." 

"I  slight  and  inconsiderable?"  said  Craigengelt,  raising 
his  voice,  and  laying  his  hand  on  his  cutlass ;  "  if  it  were  not 
that  the  quarrel  of  my  friend  craves  the  precedence,  and  is  in 
dependence  before  my  own,  I  would  give  you  to  under- 
stand  " 

"  I  can  understand  nothing  upon  your  explanation.  Captain 
Craigengelt.  Be  satisfied  of  that,  and  oblige  me  with  your 
departure. " 

"D n!"  muttered  the  bully;  "and  is  this  the  answer 

which  I  am  to  carry  back  to  an  honourable  message?" 

"Tell  the  Laird  of  Bucklaw,"  answered  Ravenswood,  "if 
you  are  really  sent  by  him,  that,  when  he  sends  me  his 
cause  of  grievance  by  a  person  fitting  to  carry  such  an 
errand  betwixt  him  and  me,  I  will  either  explain  it  or  main- 
tain it." 

"  Then,  Master,  you  will  at  least  cause  to  be  returned  to 
Hayston,  by  my  hands,  his  property  which  is  remaining  in 
your  possession." 

"  Whatever  property  Bucklaw  may  have  left  behind  him, 
sir,"  replied  the  Master,  "shall  be  returned  to  him  by  my 


184  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

servant,  as  you  do  not  show  me  any  credentials  from  him 
which  entitle  you  to  receive  it." 

"Well,  Master,"  said  Captain  Craigengelt,  with  malice 
which  even  his  fear  of  the  consequences  could  not  suppress, 
"you  have  this  morning  done  me  an  egregious  wrong  and 
dishonour,  but  far  more  to  yourself.  A  castle  indeed!"  he 
continued,  looking  around  him;  "why,  this  is  worse  than  a 
coupe-gorge  house,  where  they  receive  travellers  to  plunder 
them  of  their  property. " 

"  You  insolent  rascal, "  said  the  Master,  raising  his  cane, 
and  making  a  grasp  at  the  Captain's  bridle,  "  if  you  do  not 
depart  without  uttering  another  syllable,  I  will  batoon  you  to 
death!" 

At  the  motion  of  the  Master  towards  him,  the  bully  turned 
so  rapidly  round,  that  with  some  difficulty  he  escaped  throw- 
ing down  his  horse,  whose  hoofs  struck  fire  from  the  rocky 
pavement  in  every  direction.  Eecovering  him,  however,  with 
the  bridle,  he  pushed  for  the  gate,  and  rode  sharply  back 
again  in  the  direction  of  the  village. 

As  Eavenswood  turned  round  to  leave  the  courtyard  after 
this  dialogue,  he  found  that  the  Lord  Keeper  had  descended 
from  the  hall,  and  witnessed,  though  at  the  distance  pre- 
scribed by  politeness,  his  interview  with  Craigengelt. 

"I  have  seen,"  said  the  Lord  Keeper,  "that  gentleman's 
face,  and  at  no  great  distance  of  time ;  his  name  is  Craig — 
Craig — something,  is  it  not?" 

"Craigengelt  is  the  fellow's  name,"  said  the  Master,  "at 
least  that  by  which  he  passes  at  present." 

"  Craig-in-guilt, "  said  Caleb,  punning  upon  the  word 
"craig,"  which  in  Scotch  signifies  throat;  "if  he  is  Craig-in- 
guilt  just  now,  he  is  as  likely  to  be  Craig-in-peril  as  ony 
chield  I  ever  saw;  the  loon  has  woodie  written  on  his  very 
visnomy,  and  I  wad  wager  twa  and  a  plack  that  hemp  plaits 
his  cravat  yet." 

"  You  understand  physiognomy,  good  Mr.  Caleb, "  said  the 
Keeper,  smiling ;  "  I  assure  you  the  gentleman  has  been  near 
such  a  consummation  before  now ;  for  T  most  distinctly  recol- 
lect that,  upon  occasion  of  a  journey  which  I  made  about  a 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  186 

fortuiglit  ago  to  Edinburgh,  I  saw  Mr.  Craigengelt,  or  what- 
ever is  his  name,  undergo  a  severe  examination  before  the 
privy  council." 

"  Upon  what  account?"  said  the  Master  of  Ravenswood, 
with  some  interest. 

The  question  led  immediately  to  a  tale  which  the  Lord 
Keeper  had  been  very  anxious  to  introduce,  when  he  could 
find  a  graceful  and  fitting  opportunity.  He  took  hold  of  the 
Master's  arm,  and  led  him  back  towards  the  hall.  "  The 
answer  to  your  question, "  he  said,  "  though  it  is  a  ridiculous 
business,  is  only  fit  for  your  own  ear. " 

As  they  entered  the  hall,  he  again  took  the  Master  apart 
into  one  of  the  recesses  of  the  window,  where  it  will  be  easily 
believed  that  Miss  Ashton  did  not  venture  again  to  intrude 
upon  their  conference. 


CHAPTER   XYII. 

Here  is  a  father  now, 
Will  truck  his  daughter  for  a  foreign  venture, 
Make  her  the  stop-gap  to  some  canker'd  feud, 
Or  fling  her  o'er,  like  Jonah,  to  the  fishes, 
To  appease  the  sea  at  highest. 

Anonymous. 

The  Lord  Keeper  opened  his  discourse  with  an  appearance 
of  unconcern,  marking,  however,  very  carefully,  the  effect  of 
his  communication  upon  young  Ravenswood. 

"  You  are  aware, "  he  said,  "  my  young  friend,  that  suspicion 
is  the  natural  vice  of  our  unsettled  times,  and  exposes  the  best 
and  wisest  of  us  to  the  imposition  of  artful  rascals.  If  I  had 
been  disposed  to  listen  to  such  the  other  day,  or  even  if  I  had 
been  the  wily  politician  which  you  have  been  taught  to  believe 
me,  you,  Master  of  Ravenswood,  instead  of  being  at  freedom, 
and  with  fully  liberty  to  solicit  and  act  against  me  as  you 
please,  in  defence  of  what  you  suppose  to  be  your  rights,  would 
have  been  in  the  Castle  of  Edinburgh,  or  some  other  state 
prison;  or,  if  you  had  escaped  that  destiny,  it  must  have  been 


186  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

by  flight  to  a  foreign  country,  and  at  the  risk  of  a  sentence  of 
fugitation." 

"My  Lord  Keeper,"  said  the  Master,  "I  think  you  would 
not  jest  on  such  a  subject;  yet  it  seems  impossible  you  can  be 
in  earnest." 

"Innocence,"  said  the  Lord  Keeper,  "is  also  confident,  and 
sometimes,  though  very  excusably,  presumptuously  so." 

"  I  do  not  understand, "  said  llavenswood,  "  how  a  conscious- 
ness of  innocence  can  be,  in  any  case,  accounted  presumpt- 
uous." 

"  Imprudent,  at  least,  it  may  be  called, "  said  Sir  William 
Ashton,  "  since  it  is  apt  to  lead  us  into  the  mistake  of  suppos- 
ing that  sufficiently  evident  to  others  of  which,  in  fact,  we  are 
only  conscious  ourselves.  I  have  known  a  rogue,  for  this  very 
reason,  make  a  better  defence  than  an  innocent  man  could  have 
done  in  the  same  circumstances  of  suspicion.  Having  no  con- 
sciousness of  innocence  to  support  him,  such  a  fellow  applies 
himself  to  all  the  advantages  which  the  law  will  afford  him, 
and  sometimes — if  his  counsel  be  men  of  talent — succeeds  in 
compelling  his  judges  to  receive  him  as  innocent.  I  remem- 
ber the  celebrated  case  of  Sir  Coolie  Condiddle  of  Condiddle, 
who  was  tried  for  theft  under  trust,  of  which  all  the  world 
knew  him  guilty,  and  yet  was  not  only  acquitted,  but  lived  to 
sit  in  judgment  on  honester  folk." 

"  Allow  me  to  beg  you  will  return  to  the  point, "  said  the 
Master;  "you  seemed  to  say  that  I  had  suffered  under  some 
suspicion." 

"  Suspicion,  Master !  Ay,  truly,  and  I  can  show  you  the 
proofs  of  it ;  if  I  happen  only  to  have  them  with  me.  Here, 
Lockhard."  His  attendant  came.  "  Fetch  me  the  little  pri- 
vate mail  with  the  padlocks,  that  I  recommended  to  your  par- 
ticular charge,  d'ye  hear?'- 

"  Yes,  my  lord."  Lockhard  vanished;  and  the  Keeper  con- 
tinued, as  if  half  speaking  to  himself. 

"  I  think  the  papers  are  with  me — I  think  so,  for,  as  I  was 
to  be  in  this  country,  it  was  natural  for  me  to  bring  them  with 
me.  I  have  them,  however,  at  Kavenswood  Castle,  that  I  am 
sure  of;  so  perhaps  you  might  condescend " 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  187 

Here  Lockhard  entered,  and  put  the  leathern  scrutoire,  or 
mail-box,  into  his  hands.  The  Keeper  produced  one  or  two 
papers,  respecting  the  information  laid  before  the  privy  coun- 
cil concerning  the  riot,  as  it  was  termed,  at  the  funeral  of 
Allan  Lord  Ravenswood,  and  the  active  share  he  had  himself 
taken  in  quashing  the  proceedings  against  the  Master.  These 
documents  had  been  selected  with  care,  so  as  to  irritate  the 
natural  curiosity  of  Ravenswood  upon  such  a  subject,  without 
gratifying  it,  yet  to  show  that  Sir  William  Ashton  had  acted 
upon  that  trying  occasion  the  part  of  an  advocate  and  peace- 
maker betwixt  him  and  the  jealous  authorities  of  the  day. 
Having  furnished  his  host  with  such  subjects  for  examination, 
the  Lord  Keeper  went  to  the  breakfast-table,  and  entered  into 
light  conversation,  addressed  partly  to  old  Caleb,  whose  resent- 
ment against  the  usurper  of  the  Castle  of  Ravenswood  began 
to  be  softened  by  his  familiarity,  and  partly  to  his  daughter. 

After  perusing  these  papers,  the  Master  of  Ravenswood  re- 
mained for  a  minute  or  two  with  his  hand  pressed  against  his 
brow,  in  deep  and  profound  meditation.  He  then  again  ran 
his  eye  hastily  over  the  papers,  as  if  desirous  of  discovering 
in  them  some  deep  purpose,  or  some  mark  of  fabrication, 
which  had  escaped  him  at  first  perusal.  Apparently  the 
second  reading  confirmed  the  opinion  which  had  pressed  upon 
him  at  the  first,  for  he  started  from  the  stone  bench  on  which 
he  was  sitting,  and,  going  to  the  Lord  Keeper,  took  his  hand, 
and,  strongly  pressing  it,  asked  his  pardon  repeatedly  for  the 
injustice  he  had  done  him,  when  it  appeared  he  was  experi- 
encing, at  his  hands,  the  benefit  of  protection  to  his  person 
and  vindication  to  his  character. 

The  statesman  received  these  acknowledgments  at  first  with 
well-feigned  surprise,  and  then  with  an  affectation  of  frank  cor- 
diality. The  tears  began  already  to  start  from  Lucy's  blue 
eyes  at  viewing  this  unexpected  and  moving  scene.  To  see 
the  Master,  late  so  haughty  and  reserved,  and  whom  she  had 
always  supposed  the  injured  person,  supplicating  her  father 
for  forgiveness,  was  a  change  at  once  surprising,  flattering, 
and  affecting. 

"Dry  your  eyes,  Lucy,"  said  her  father j  "why  should  you 


188  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

weep,  because  your  father,  though  a  lawyer,  is  discovered  to 
be  a  fair  and  honourable  man?  What  have  you  to  thank  me 
for,  my  dear  Master,"  he  continued,  addressing  Eavenswood, 
"that  you  would  not  have  done  in  my  case?  ' Suum  cuique 
tribidto,'  was  the  Eoman  justice,  and  I  learned  it  when  I  stud- 
ied Justinian.  Besides,  have  you  not  overpaid  me  a  thousand 
times,  in  saving  the  life  of  this  dear  child?" 

"  Yes, "  answered  the  Master,  in  all  the  remorse  of  self-ac- 
cusation; "but  the  little  service  /  did  was  an  act  of  mere 
brutal  instinct;  your  defence  of  my  cause,  when  you  knew 
how  ill  I  thought  of  you,  and  how  much  I  was  disposed  to  be 
your  enemy,  was  an  act  of  generous,  manly,  and  considerate 
wisdom." 

"Pshaw!"  said  the  Lord  Keeper,  "each  of  us  acted  in  his 
own  way;  you  as  a  gallant  soldier,  I  as  an  upright  judge  and 
privy-councillor.  We  could  not,  perhaps,  have  changed  parts ; 
at  least  I  should  have  made  a  very  sorry  tauridor,  and  you, 
my  good  Master,  though  your  cause  is  so  excellent,  might 
have  pleaded  it  perhaps  worse  yourself  than  I  who  acted  for 
you  before  the  council." 

"My  generous  friend!"  said  Eavenswood;  and  with  that 
brief  word,  which  the  Keeper  had  often  lavished  upon  him, 
but  which  he  himself  now  pronounced  for  the  first  time,  he 
gave  to  his  feudal  enemy  the  full  confidence  of  an  haughty  but 
honourable  heart.  The  Master  had  been  remarked  among  his 
contemporaries  for  sense  and  acuteness,  as  well  as  for  his  re- 
served, pertinacious,  and  irascible  character.  His  preposses- 
sions accordingly,  however  obstinate,  were  of  a  nature  to  give 
way  before  love  and  gratitude;  and  the  real  charms  of  the 
daughter,  joined  to  the  supposed  services  of  the  father,  can- 
celled in  his  memory  the  vows  of  vengeance  which  he  had 
taken  so  deeply  on  the  eve  of  his  father's  funeral.  But  they 
had  been  heard  and  registered  in  the  book  of  fate. 

Caleb  was  present  at  this  extraordinary  scene,  and  he  could 
conceive  no  other  reason  for  a  proceeding  so  extraordinary 
than  an  alliance  betwixt  the  houses,  and  Eavenswood  Castle 
assigned  for  the  young  lady's  dowry.  As  for  Lucy,  when 
Eavenswood  uttered  the  most  passionate  excuses  for  his  un- 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  189 

grateful  negligence,  she  could  but  smile  through  her  tears, 
and,  as  she  abandoned  her  hand  to  him,  assure  him,  in  broken 
accents,  of  the  delight  with  which  she  beheld  the  complete 
reconciliation  between  her  father  and  her  deliverer.  Even 
the  statesman  was  moved  and  affected  by  the  fiery,  unre- 
served, and  generous  self-abandonment  with  which  the  Mas- 
ter of  Ravenswood  renounced  his  feudal  enmity,  and  threw 
himself  without  hesitation  upon  his  forgiveness.  His  eyes 
glistened  as  he  looked  upon  a  couple  who  were  obviously  be- 
coming attached,  and  who  seemed  made  for  each  other.  He 
thought  how  high  the  proud  and  chivalrous  character  of 
Ravenswood  might  rise  under  many  circumstances  in  which 
he  found  himself  "overcrowed,"  to  use  a  phrase  of  Spenser, 
and  kept  under,  by  his  brief  pedigree,  and  timidity  of  disposi- 
tion. Then  his  daughter — his  favourite  child — his  constant 
playmate — seemed  formed  to  live  happy  in  a  union  with  such 
a  commanding  spirit  as  Ravenswood ;  and  even  the  fine,  deli- 
cate, fragile  form  of  Lucy  Ashton  seemed  to  require  the  sup- 
port of  the  Master's  muscular  strength  and  masculine  charac- 
ter. And  it  was  not  merely  during  a  few  minutes  that  Sir 
William  Ashton  looked  upon  their  marriage  as  a  probable  and 
even  desirable  event,  for  a  full  hour  intervened  ere  his  imag- 
ination was  crossed  by  recollection  of  the  Master's  poverty, 
and  the  sure  displeasure  of  Lady  Ashton.  It  is  certain,  that 
the  very  unusual  flow  of  kindly  feeling  with  which  the  Lord 
Keeper  had  been  thus  surprised,  was  one  of  the  circumstances 
which  gave  much  tacit  encouragement  to  the  attachment  be- 
tween the  Master  and  his  daughter,  and  led  both  the  lovers 
distinctly  to  believe  that  it  was  a  connexion  which  would  be 
most  agreeable  to  him.  He  himself  was  supposed  to  have  ad- 
mitted this  in  effect,  when,  long  after  the  catastrophe  of  their 
love,  he  used  to  warn  his  hearers  against  permitting  their 
feelings  to  obtain  an  ascendency  over  their  judgment,  and 
aflirm,  that  the  greatest  misfortune  of  his  life  was  owing  to 
a  very  temporary  predominance  of  sensibility  over  self-inter- 
est. It  must  be  owned,  if  such  was  the  case,  he  was  long  and 
severely  punished  for  an  offence  of  very  brief  duration. 

After  some  pause,  the  Lord  Keeper  resumed  the  con  versa- 


190  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

tion. — ''In  your  surprise  at  finding  me  an  honester  man  than 
you  expected,  you  have  lost  your  curiosity  about  this  Craigen- 
gelt,  my  good  Master ;  and  yet  your  name  was  brought  in,  in 
the  course  of  that  matter  too. " 

"The  scoundrel!"  said  Ravenswood.  " My  connexion  with 
him  was  of  the  most  temporary  nature  possible;  and  yet  I 
was  very  foolish  to  hold  any  communication  with  him  at  all. 
What  did  he  say  of  me?" 

"  Enough, "  said  the  Keeper,  "  to  excite  the  very  loyal  terrors 
of  some  of  our  sages,  who  are  for  proceeding  against  men  on 
the  mere  grounds  of  suspicion  or  mercenary  information. 
Some  nonsense  about  your  proposing  to  enter  into  the  service 
of  France,  or  of  the  Pretender,  I  don't  recollect  which,  but 

which  the  Marquis  of  A ,  one  of  your  best  friends,  and 

another  person,  whom  some  call  one  of  your  worst  and  most  in- 
terested enemies,  could  not,  somehow,  be  brought  to  listen  to." 

"I  am  obliged  to  my  honourable  friend;  and  yet,"  shaking 
the  Lord  Keeper's  hand — "and  yet  I  am  still  more  obliged  to 
my  honourable  enemy." 

'^ Inimicus  amicissimuSf"  said  the  Lord  Keeper,  returning 
the  pressure;  "but  this  gentleman — this  Mr.  Hayston  of 
Bucklaw — I  am  afraid  the  poor  young  man — I  heard  the  fel- 
low mention  his  name — is  under  very  bad  guidance." 

"  He  is  old  enough  to  govern  himself,"  answered  the  Master. 

"Old  enough,  perhaps,  but  scarce  wise  enough,  if  he  has 
chosen  this  fellow  for  his  Jidus  Achates.  Why,  he  lodged  an 
information  against  him— that  is,  such  a  consequence  might 
have  ensued  from  his  examination,  had  we  not  looked  rather 
at  the  character  of  the  witness  than  the  tenor  of  his  evidence. " 

"  Mr.  Hayston  of  Bucklaw,"  said  the,  Master,  "  is,  I  believe, 
a  most  honourable  man,  and  capable  of  nothing  that  is  mean 
or  disgraceful." 

"  Capable  of  much  that  is  unreasonable,  though ;  that  you 
must  needs  allow.  Master.  Death  will  soon  put  him  in  pos- 
session of  a  fair  estate,  if  he  hath  it  not  already ;  old  Lady 
Girnington — an  excellent  person,  excepting  that  her  inveterate 
ill-nature  rendered  her  intolerable  to  the  whole  world — is 
probably  dead  by  this  time.     Six  heirs  portioners  have  sue- 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  191 

cessively  died  to  make  her  wealthy.  I  kiiowthe  estates  well; 
they  march  with  my  own — a  noble  property." 

"  I  am  glad  of  it, "  said  Ravenswood,  "  and  should  be  more 
so,  were  I  confident  that  Bucklaw  would  change  his  company 
and  habits  with  his  fortunes.  This  appearance  of  Craigengelt, 
acting  in  the  capacity  of  his  friend,  is  a  most  vile  augury  for 
his  future  respectability." 

"  He  is  a  bird  of  evil  omen,  to  be  sure, "  said  the  Keeper, 
"  and  croaks  of  jail  and  gallows-tree.  But  I  see  Mr.  Caleb 
grows  impatient  for  our  return  to  breakfast." 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 


Sir,  stay  at  home  and  take  an  old  man's  counsel ; 
Seek  not  to  bask  yovT  by  a  stranger's  hearth  ; 
Our  own  blue  smoke  is  warmer  than  their  fire. 
Domestic  food  is  wholesome,  though  'tis  homely, 
And  foreign  dainties  poisonous,  though  tasteful. 

The  French  Conrtezan. 

The  Master  of  Ravenswood  took  an  opportunity  to  leave 
his  guests  to  prepare  for  their  departure,  w^hile  he  himself 
made  the  brief  arrangements  necessary  previous  to  his  absence 
from  Wolf's  Crag  for  a  day  or  two.  It  was  necessary  to  com- 
municate with  Caleb  on  this  occasion,  and  he  found  that  faith- 
ful servitor  in  his  sooty  and  ruinous  den,  greatly  delighted  with 
the  departure  of  their  visitors,  and  computing  how  long,  with 
good  management,  the  provisions  which  had  been  unexpended 
might  furnish  forth  the  Master's  table.  "He's  nae  belly 
god,  that's  ae  blessing;  and  Bucklaw's  gane,  that  could  have 
eaten  a  horse  behind  the  saddle.  Cresses  or  water-purpie, 
and  a  bit  ait-cake,  can  serve  the  Master  for  breakfast  as  weel 
as  Caleb.  Then  for  dinner — there's  no  muckle  left  on  the 
spule-bane;  it  will  brander,  though^ — it  will  brander  very 
weel." 

His  triumphant  calculations  were  interrupted  by  the  Master, 
who  communicated  to  him,  not  without  some  hesitation,  his 
purpose  to  ride  with  the  Lord  Keeper  as  far  as  Ravenswood 
Castle,  and  to  remain  there  for  a  day  or  two. 


192  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

''The  mercy  of  Heaven  forbid!"  said  the  old  serving-man, 
turning  as  pale  as  the  table-cloth  which  he  was  folding  up. 

"And  why,  Caleb?"  said  his  master — "why  should  the 
mercy  of  Heaven  forbid  my  returning  the  Lord  Keeper's 
visit?" 

"Oh,  sir!"  replied  Caleb — "oh,  Mr.  Edgar!  I  am  your  ser- 
vant, and  it  ill  becomes  me  to  speak;  but  I  am  an  auld  ser- 
vant— have  served  baith  your  father  and  gudesire,  and  miud 
to  have  seen  Lord  Eandal,  your  great-grandfather,  but  that 
was  when  I  was  a  bairn." 

"And  what  of  all  this,  Balderstone?"  said  the  Master; 
"  what  can  it  possibly  have  to  do  with  my  paying  some  ordi- 
nary civility  to  a  neighbour." 

"Oh,  Mr.  Edgar, — that  is,  my  lord!"  answered  the  butler, 
"your  ain  conscience  tells  you  it  isna  for  your  father's  son  to 
be  neighbouring  wi'  the  like  o'  him;  it  isna  for  the  credit  of 
the  family.  An  he  were  ance  come  to  terms,  and  to  gie  ye 
back  your  ain,  e'en  though  ye  suld  honour  his  house  wi' 
your  alliance,  I  suldna  say  na;  for  the  young  leddy  is 
a  winsome  sweet  creature.  But  keep  your  ain  state  wi' 
them — I  ken  the  race  o'  them  weel — they  will  think  the 
mair  o'  ye." 

"Why,  now,  you  go  farther  than  I  do,  Caleb,"  said  the 
Master,  drowning  a  certain  degree  of  consciousness  in  a  forced 
laugh ;  "  you  are  for  marrying  me  into  a  family  that  you  will 
not  allow  me  to  visit,  how's  this?  and  you  look  as  pale  as 
death  besides." 

"Oh,  sir,"  repeated  Caleb  again,  "you  would  but  laugh  if  I 
tauld  it;  but  Thomas  the  Rhymer,  whose  tongue  couldna  be 
fause,  spoke  the  word  of  your  house  that  will  e'en  prove  ower 
true  if  you  go  to  Ravenswood  this  day.  Oh,  that  it  should 
e'er  have  been  fulfilled  in  my  time!" 

"And  what  is  it,  Caleb?"  said  Ravenswood,  wishing  to 
soothe  the  fears  of  his  old  servant. 

Caleb  replied :  "  He  had  never  repeated  the  lines  to  living 
mortal ;  they  were  told  to  him  by  an  auld  priest  that  had  been 
confessor  to  Lord  Allan's  father  when  the  family  were  Catho- 
lic.    But  mony  a  time,"  he  said,  "I  hae  soughed  thae  dark 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  193 

words  ower  to  mysell,  and,  well-a-day!  little  did  I  think  of 
their  coming  round  this  day.'' 

"  Truce  with  your  nonsense,  and  let  me  hear  the  doggerel 
which  has  put  it  into  your  head,"  said  the  Master,  impa- 
tiently. 

With  a  quivering  voice,  and  a  cheek  pale  with  apprehen- 
sion, Caleb  faltered  out  the  following  lines : 

"  When  the  last  Laird  of  Ravenswood  to  Ravenswood  shall  ride, 
And  woo  a  dead  maiden  to  be  his  bride, 
He  shall  stable  his  steed  in  the  Kelpie's  flow. 
And  his  name  shall  be  lost  for  evermoe  !  " 

"I  know  the  Kelpie's  flow  well  enough,"  said  the  Master; 
"I  suppose,  at  least,  you  mean  the  quicksand  betwixt  this 
tower  and  Wolf's  Hope;  but  why  any  man  in  his  senses  should 
stable  a  steed  there " 

"  Oh,  ever  speer  ony  thing  about  that,  sir — God  forbid  we 
should  ken  what  the  prophecy  means — but  just  bide  you  at 
hame,  and  let  the  strangers  ride  to  Ravenswood  by  them- 
selves. We  have  done  eneugh  for  them;  and  to  do  mair 
would  be  mair  against  the  credit  of  the  family  than  in  its 
favour. " 

"Well,  Caleb,"  said  the  Master,  "I  give  you  the  best  pos- 
sible credit  for  your  good  advice  on  this  occasion ;  but  as  I  do 
not  go  to  Ravenswood  to  seek  a  bride,  dead  or  alive,  I  hope  I 
shall  choose  a  better  stable  for  my  horse  than  the  Kelpie's 
quicksand,  and  especially  as  I  have  always  had  a  particular 
dread  of  it  since  the  patrol  of  dragoons  were  lost  there  ten 
years  since.  My  father  and  I  saw  them  from  the  tower  strug- 
gling against  the  advancing  tide,  and  they  were  lost  long  be- 
fore any  help  could  reach  them." 

"And  they  deserved  it  weel,  the  southern  loons!"  said 
Caleb ;  "  what  had  they  ado  capering  on  our  sands,  and  hinder- 
ing a  wheen  honest  folk  frae  bringing  on  shore  a  drap  brandy? 
I  hae  seen  them  that  busy,  that  I  wad  hae  fired  the  auld  cul- 
verin  or  the  demi-saker  that's  on  the  south  bartizan  at  them, 
only  I  was  feared  they  might  burst  in  the  ganging  aif." 

Caleb's  brain  was  now  fully  engaged  with  abuse  of  the 
English  soldiery  and  excisemen,  so  that  his  master  found  no 
13 


194  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

great  difficulty  in  escaping  from  him  and  rejoining  his  guests. 
All  was  now  ready  for  their  departure ;  and  one  of  the  Lord 
Keeper's  grooms  having  saddled  the  Master's  steed,  they 
mounted  in  the  courtyard. 

Caleb  had,  with  much  toil,  opened  the  double  doors  of  the 
outward  gate,  and  thereat  stationed  himself,  endeavouring,  by 
the  reverential,  and  at  the  same  time  consequential,  air  which 
he  assumed,  to  supply,  by  his  own  gaunt,  wasted,  and  thin 
person,  the  absence  of  a  whole  baronial  establishment  of  por- 
ters, warders,  and  liveried  menials. 

The  Keeper  returned  his  deep  reverence  with  a  cordial  fare- 
well, stooping  at  the  same  time  from  his  horse,  and  sliding 
into  the  butler's  hand  the  remuneration  which  in  those  days 
was  always  given  by  a  departing  guest  to  the  domestics  of  the 
family  where  he  had  been  entertained.  Lucy  smiled  on  the 
old  man  with  her  usual  sweetness,  bade  him  adieu,  and  de- 
posited her  guerdon  with  a  grace  of  action  and  a  gentleness  of 
accent  which  could  not  have  failed  to  have  won  the  faithful 
retainer's  heart,  but  for  Thomas  the  Rhymer,  and  the  success- 
ful lawsuit  against  his  master.  As  it  was,  he  might  have 
adopted  the  language  of  the  Duke  in  As  You  Like  It : 

Thou  wouldst  have  better  pleased  me  with  this  deed, 
If  thou  hadst  told  me  of  another  father. 

Ravenswood  was  at  the  lady's  bridle-rein,  encouraging  her 
timdity,  and  guiding  her  horse  carefully  down  the  rocky  path 
which  led  to  the  moor,  when  one  of  the  servants  annoimced 
from  the  rear  that  Caleb  was  calling  loudly  after  them,  desir- 
ing to  speak  with  his  master.  Ravenswood  felt  it  would  look 
singular  to  neglect  this  summons,  although  inwardly  cursing 
Caleb  for  his  impertinent  officiousness ;  therefore  he  was  com- 
pelled to  relinquish  to  Mr.  Lockhard  the  agreeable  duty  in 
which  he  was  engaged,  and  to  ride  back  to  the  gate  of  the 
courtyard.  Here  he  was  beginning,  somewhat  peevishly,  to 
ask  Caleb  the  cause  of  his  clamour,  when  the  good  old  man 
exclaimed:  "Whisht,  sir! — whisht,  and  let  me  speak  just  ae 
word  that  T  couldna  say  afore  folk;  there  (putting  into  his 
lord's  hand  the  money  he  "had  just  received) — there's  three 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  195 

gowd  pieces;  and  ye'll  want  siller  up-bye  yonder.  But 
stay,  whisht,  now!"  for  the  Master  was  beginning  to  ex- 
claim against  this  transference,  "never  say  a  word,  but 
just  see  to  get  them  changed  in  the  first  town  ye  ride 
through,  for  they  are  bran  new  frae  the  mint,  and  ken- 
speckle  a  wee  bit." 

"  You  f o  rget,  Caleb, "  said  his  master,  striving  to  force  back 
the  money  on  his  servant,  and  extricate  the  bridle  from  his 
hold — "you  forget  that  I  have  some  gold  pieces  left  of  my 
own.  Keep  these  to  yourself,  my  old  friend;  and,  once  more, 
good  day  to  you.  I  assure  you,  I  have  plenty.  You  know 
you  have  managed  that  our  living  should  cost  us  little  or 
nothing. " 

"Aweel,"  said  Caleb,  "these  will  serve  for  you  another 
time ;  but  see  ye  hae  eneugh,  for,  doubtless,  for  the  credit  of 
the  family,  there  maun  be  some  civility  to  the  servants,  and 
ye  maun  hae  something  to  mak  a  show  with  when  they  say, 
'Master,  will  you  bet  a  broad  piece?'  Then  ye  maun  tak  out 
your  purse,  and  say,  'I  carena  if  I  do';  and  tak  care  no  to 
agree  on  the  articles  of  the  wager,  and  just  put  up  your  purse 
again,  and " 

"This  is  intolerable,  Caleb;  I  really  must  be  gone." 

"And  you  will  go,  then?"  said  Caleb,  loosening  his  hold 
upon  the  Master's  cloak,  and  changing  his  didactics  into  a 
pathetic  and  mournful  tone — "  and  you  will  go,  for  a'  I  have 
told  you  about  the  prophecy,  and  the  dead  bride,  and  the 
Kelpie's  quicksand?  Aweel!  a  wilful  man  mami  hae  his  way : 
he  that  will  to  Cupar  maun  to  Cupar.  But  pity  of  your  life, 
sir,  if  ye  be  fowling  or  shooting  in  the  Park,  beware  of  drink- 
ing at  the  Mermaiden's  Well He's  gane!  he's  down  the 

path  arrow-flight  after  her!  The  head  is  as  clean  taen  aff 
the  Ravenswood  family  this  day  as  I  wad  chap  the  head  aff 
a  sybo!" 

The  old  butler  looked  long  after  his  master,  often  clearing 
away  the  dew  as  it  rose  to  his  eyes,  that  he  might,  as  long  as 
possible,  distinguish  his  stately  form  from  those  of  the  other 
horsemen.  "Close  to  her  bridle-rein — ay,  close  to  her 
bridle-rein !     Wisely  saith   the   holy  man,  '  By  this  also  you 


196  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

may  know  that  woman  hath,  dominion  over  all  men' ;  and 
without  this  lass  would  not  our  ruin  have  been  a'thegither 
fulfilled." 

With  a  heart  fraught  with  such  sad  auguries  did  Caleb  re- 
turn to  his  necessary  duties  at  Wolf's  Crag,  as  soon  as  he  could 
no  longer  distinguish  the  object  of  his  anxiety  among  the 
group  of  riders,  which  diminished  in  the  distance. 

In  the  mean  time  the  party  pursued  their  route  joyfully. 
Having  once  taken  his  resolution,  the  Master  of  Ravenswood 
was  not  of  a  character  to  hesitate  or  pause  upon  it.  He  aban- 
doned himself  to  the  pleasure  he  felt  in  Miss  Ashton's  com- 
pany, and  displayed  an  assiduous  gallantry  which  approached 
as  nearly  to  gaiety  as  the  temper  of  his  mind  and  state  of  his 
family  permitted.  The  Lord  Keeper  was  much  struck  with 
his  depth  of  observation,  and  the  miusual  improvement  which 
he  had  derived  from  his  studies.  Of  these  accomplishments 
Sir  William  Ashton's  profession  and  habits  of  society  rendered 
him  an  excellent  judge ;  and  he  well  knew  how  to  appreciate 
a  quality  to  which  he  himself  was  a  total  stranger^the  brief 
and  decided  dauntlessness  of  the  Master  of  Eavenswood's 
disposition,  who  seemed  equally  a  stranger  to  doubt  and  to 
fear.  In  his  heart  the  Lord  Keeper  rejoiced  at  having  con- 
ciliated an  adversary  so  formidable,  while,  with  a  mixture  of 
pleasure  and  anxiety,  he  anticipated  the  great  things  his 
young  companion  might  achieve,  were  the  breath  of  court- 
favour  to  fill  his  sails. 

"What  could  she  desire,"  he  thought,  his  mind  always  con- 
juring up  opposition  in  the  person  of  Lady  Ashton  to  his  now 
prevailing  wish — "  what  could  a  woman  desire  in  a  match 
more  than  the  sopiting  of  a  very  dangerous  claim,  and  the 
alliance  of  a  son-in-law,  noble,  brave,  well-gifted,  and  highly 
connected;  sure  to  float  whenever  the  tide  sets  his  way; 
strong,  exactly  where  we  are  weak,  in  pedigree  and  in  the 
temper  of  a  swordsman?     Sure,  no  reasonable  woman  would 

hesitate.     But,  alas !"     Here  his  argument  was    stopped 

by  the  consciousness  that  Lady  Ashton  was  not  always  rea- 
sonable, in  his  sense  of  the  word.  "  To  prefer  some  clownish 
Merse  laird  to  the  gallant  young  nobleman,  and  to  the  secure 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  197 

possession  of  Ravenswood  upon  terms  of  easy  compromise — it 
would  be  the  act  of  a  madwoman!" 

Thus  pondered  the  veteran  politician,  until  they  reached 
Bittlebrains  House,  where  it  had  been  previously  settled  they 
were  to  dine  and  repose  themselves,  and  prosecute  their  jour- 
ney in  the  afternoon. 

They  were  received  with  an  excess  of  hospitality  5  and  the 
most  marked  attention  was  offered  to  the  Master  of  Ravens- 
wood,  in  particular,  by  their  noble  entertainers.  The  truth 
was,  that  Lord  Bittlebrains  had  obtained  his  peerage  by  a 
good  deal  of  plausibility,  an  art  of  building  u]3  a  character  for 
wisdom  upon  a  very  trite  style  of  commonplace  eloquence,  a 
steady  observation  of  the  changes  of  the  times,  and  the  power 
of  rendering  certain  political  services  to  those  who  could  best 
reward  them.  His  lady  and  he,  not  feeling  quite  easy  under 
their  new  honours,  to  which  use  had  not  adapted  their  feel- 
ings, were  very  desirous  to  procure  the  fraternal  countenance 
of  those  who  were  born  denizens  of  the  regions  into  which 
they  had  been  exalted  from  a  lower  sphere.  The  extreme  at- 
tention which  they  paid  to  the  Master  of  Ravenswood  had  its 
usual  effect  in  exalting  his  importance  in  the  eyes  of  the 
Lord  Keeper,  who,  although  he  had  a  reasonable  degree  of 
contempt  for  Lord  Bittlebrains' s  general  parts,  entertained  a 
high  opinion  of  the  acuteness  of  his  judgment  in  all  matters 
of  self-interest. 

"  I  wish  Lady  Ashton  had  seen  this, "  was  his  internal  re- 
flection ;  "  no  man  knows  so  well  as  Bittlebrains  on  which  side 
his  bread  is  buttered;  and  he  fawns  on  the  Master  like  a 
beggar's  messan  on  a  cook.  And  my  lady,  too,  bringing 
forward  her  beetle-browed  misses  to  skirl  and  play  upon 
the  virginals,  as  if  she  said,  'Pick  and  choose.'  They 
are  no  more  comparable  to  Lucy  than  an  owl  is  to  a 
cygnet,  and  so  they  may  carry  their  black  brows  to  a  far- 
ther market." 

The  entertainment  being  ended,  our  travellers,  who  had 
still  to  measure  the  longest  part  of  their  journey,  resumed 
their  horses ;  and  after  the  Lord  Keeper,  the  Master,  and  the 
domestics   had  drunk  (loch-an-dorroch^  or  the  stirrup-cup,  in 


198  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

the  liquors  adapted  to  their  various  ranks,  the  cavalcade  re- 
sumed its  progress. 

It  was  dark  by  the  time  they  entered  the  avenue  of  Ravens- 
wood  Castle,  a  long  straight  line  leading  directly  to  the  front 
of  the  house,  flanked  with  huge  elm-trees,  which  sighed  to  the 
night-wind,  as  if  they  compassionated  the  heir  of  their  an- 
cient proprietors,  who  now  returned  to  their  shades  in  the 
society,  and  almost  in  the  retinue,  of  their  new  master.  Some 
feelings  of  the  same  kind  oppressed  the  mind  of  the  Master 
himself.  He  gradually  became  silent,  and  dropped  a  little 
behind  the  lady,  at  whose  bridle-rein  he  had  hitherto  waited 
with  such  devotion.  He  well  recollected  the  period  when,  at 
the  same  hour  in  the  evenmg,  he  had  accompanied  his  father, 
as  that  nobleman  left,  never  agam  to  return  to  it,  the  mansion 
from  which  he  derived  his  name  and  title.  The  extensive 
front  of  the  old  castle,  on  which  he  remembered  having  often 
looked  back,  was  then  "as  black  as  mourning  weed."  The 
same  front  now  glanced  with  many  lights,  some  throwing  far 
forward  into  the  night  a  fixed  and  stationary  blaze,  and  others 
hurrying  from  one  window  to  another,  intimating  the  bus- 
tle and  busy  preparation  preceding  their  arrival,  which  had 
been  intimated  by  an  avant-courier.  The  contrast  pressed  so 
strongly  upon  the  ^Master's  heart  as  to  awaken  some  of  the 
sterner  feelings  with  which  he  had  been  accustomed  to  regard 
the  new  lord  of  his  paternal  domain,  and  to  impress  his  coun- 
tenance with  an  air  of  severe  gravity,  when,  alighted  from  his 
horse,  he  stood  in  the  hall  no  longer  his  own,  surrounded  by 
the  numerous  menials  of  its  present  owner. 

The  Lord  Keeper,  when  about  to  welcome  him  with  the 
cordiality  which  their  late  intercourse  seemed  to  render  prop- 
er, became  aware  of  the  change,  refrained  from  his  purpose, 
and  only  intimated  the  ceremony  of  reception  by  a  deep  rev- 
erence to  his  guest,  seeming  thus  delicately  to  share  the  feelings 
which  predominated  on  his  brow. 

Two  upper  domestics,  bearing  each  a  huge  pair  of  silver 
candlesticks,  now  marshalled  the  company  into  a  large  saloon, 
or  withdrawing-room,  where  new  alterations  impressed  upon 
Bavenswood  the  superior  wealth  of  the  present  inhabitants  of 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  1^9 

the  castle.  The  mouldering  tapestry,  which,  in  his  father's 
time,  had  haK  covered  the  walls  of  this  stately  apartment,  and 
half  streamed  from  them  in  tatters,  had  given  place  to  a  com- 
plete finishing  of  wainscot,  the  cornice  of  which,  as  well  as 
the  frames  of  the  various  compartments,  were  ornamented 
with  festoons  of  flowers  and  with  birds,  which,  though  carved 
in  oak,  seemed,  such  was  the  art  of  the  chisel,  actually  to 
swell  their  throats  and  flutter  their  wings.  Several  old  fam- 
ily portraits  of  armed  heroes  of  the  house  of  Ravens  wood, 
together  with  a  suit  or  two  of  old  armour  and  some  military 
weapons,  had  given  place  to  those  of  King  William  and  Queen 
Mary,  of  Sir  Thomas  Hope  and  Lord  Stair,  two  distinguished 
Scottish  lawyers.  The  pictures  of  the  Lord  Keeper's  father 
and  mother  were  also  to  be  seen ;  the  latter,  sour,  shrewish, 
and  solemn,  in  her  black  hood  and  close  pinners,  with  a  book 
of  devotion  in  her  hand;  the  former,  exhibiting  beneath  a 
black  silk  Geneva  cowl,  or  skull-cap,  which  sate  as  close  to 
the  head  as  if  it  had  been  shaven,  a  pinched,  peevish.  Puri- 
tanical set  of  features,  terminating  in  a  hungry,  reddish, 
peaked  beard,  forming  on  the  whole  a  countenance  in  the  ex- 
pression of  which  the  hypocrite  seemed  to  contend  with  the 
miser  and  the  knave.  "And  it  is  to  make  room  for  such 
scarecrows  as  these,"  thought  Ravenswood,  "that  my  ances- 
tors have  been  torn  down  from  the  walls  which  they  erected!" 
He  looked  at  them  again,  and,  as  he  looked,  the  recollection 
of  Lucy  Ashton,  for  she  had  not  entered  the  apartment  with 
them,  seemed  less  lively  in  his  imagination.  There  were  also 
two  or  three  Dutch  drolleries,  as  the  pictures  of  Ostade  and 
Teniers  were  then  termed,  with  one  good  painting  of  the  Ital- 
ian school.  There  was,  besides,  a  noble  full-length  of  the 
Lord  Keeper  in  his  robes  of  office,  placed  beside  his  lady  in 
silk  and  ermine,  a  haughty  beauty,  bearing  in  her  looks  all 
the  pride  of  the  house  of  Douglas,  from  which  she  was  de- 
scended. The  painter,  notwithstanding  his  skill,  overcome 
by  the  reality,  or,  perhaps,  from  a  suppressed  sense  of  humour, 
had  not  been  able  to  give  the  husband  on  the  canvas  that  air 
of  awful  rule  and  right  supremacy  which  indicates  the  full 
possession  of  domestic  authority.     It  was  obvious  at  the  first 


200  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

glance  that,  despite  mace  and  gold  frogs,  the  Lord  Keepei 
was  somewhat  henpecked.  The  floor  of  this  fine  saloon  was 
laid  with  rich  carpets,  huge  fires  blazed  in  the  double  chim- 
neys, and  ten  silver  sconces,  reflecting  with  their  bright  plates 
the  lights  which  they  supported,  made  the  whole  seem  as  bril- 
liant as  day. 

"  Would  you  choose  any  refreshment.  Master?"  said  Sir 
William  Ashton,  not  unwilling  to  break  the  awkward  silence. 

He  received  no  answer,  the  Master  being  so  busily  engaged 
in  marking  the  various  changes  which  had  taken  place  in  the 
apartment,  that  he  hardly  heard  the  Lord  Keeper  address 
him.  A  repetition  of  the  offer  of  refreshment,  with  the  addi- 
tion, that  the  family  meal  would  be  presently  ready,  compelled 
his  attention,  and  reminded  him  that  he  acted  a  weak,  perhaps 
even  a  ridiculous,  part  in  suffering  himself  to  be  overcome  by 
the  circumstances  in  which  he  found  himself.  He  compelled 
himself,  therefore,  to  enter  into  conversation  with  Sir  William 
Ashton,  with  as  much  appearance  of  indifference  as  he  could 
well  command. 

"  You  will  not  be  surprised.  Sir  William,  that  I  am  inter- 
ested in  the  changes  you  have  made  for  the  better  in  this 
apartment.  In  my  father's  time,  after  our  misfortunes  com- 
pelled him  to  live  in  retirement,  it  was  little  used,  except  by 
me  as  a  play-room,  when  the  weather  would  not  permit  me  to 
go  abroad.  In  that  recess  was  my  little  workshop,  where  I 
treasured  the  few  carpenters'  tools  which  old  Caleb  procured 
for  me,  and  taught  me  how  to  use;  there,  in  yonder  corner, 
under  that  handsome  silver  sconce,  I  kept  my  fishmg-rods  and 
hunting  poles,  bows  and  arrows." 

"  I  have  a  young  birkie, "  said  the  Lord  Keeper,  willing  to 
change  the  tone  of  the  conversation,  "  of  much  the  same  turn. 
He  is  never  happy  save  when  he  is  in  the  field.  I  wonder  he 
is  not  here.  Here,  Lockhard;  send  William  Shaw  for  Mr. 
Henry.  I  suppose  he  is,  as  usual,  tied  to  Lucy's  apron- 
string  ;  that  foolish  girl.  Master,  draws  the  whole  family  after 
her  at  her  pleasure." 

Even  this  allusion  to  his  daughter,  though  artfully  thrown 
out,  did  not  recall  E-avenswood  from  his  own  topic. 


"  Kngatred  in  inarkint;  the  various  chanjjjes  which  had  taken  place." 

Lammerniuor,  Chap,  xviii.,  p.  200. 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  201 

"  We  were  obliged  to  leave, "  lie  said,  "  some  armour  and 
portraits  in  this  apartment ;  may  I  ask  where  they  have  been 
removed  to?" 

''  Why, "  answered  the  Keeper,  with  some  hesitation,  "  the 
room  was  fitted  up  in  our  absence,  and  cedant  arma  togce  is 
the  maxim  of  lawyers,  you  know :  I  am  afraid  it  has  been 
here  somewhat  too  literally  complied  with.  I  hope — I  believe 
they  are  safe,  I  am  sure  I  gave  orders ;  may  I  hope  that  when 
they  are  recovered,  and  put  in  proper  order,  you  will  do  me 
the  honour  to  accept  them  at  my  hand,  as  an  atonement  for 
their  accidental  derangement?" 

The  Master  of  Ravenswood  bowed  stiffly,  and,  with  folded 
arms,  again  resumed  his  survey  of  the  room. 

Henry,  a  spoilt  boy  of  fifteen,  burst  into  the  room,  and  ran 
up  to  his  father.  ^'  Think  of  Lucy,  papa ;  she  has  come  home 
so  cross  and  so  fractious,  that  she  will  not  go  down  to  the 
stable  to  see  my  new  pony,  that  Bob  Wilson  brought  from 
the  Mull  of  Galloway." 

"  I  think  you  were  very  unreasonable  to  ask  her, "  said  the 
Keeper. 

"  Then  you  are  as  cross  as  she  is, "  answered  the  boy ;  "  but 
when  mamma  comes  home,  she'll  claw  up  both  your  mit- 
tens." 

"Hush  your  impertinence,  you  little  forward  imp!"  said 
his  father;  "where  is  your  tutor?" 

"Gone  to  a  wedding  at  Dunbar;  I  hope  he'll  get  a  haggis 
to  his  dinner" ;  and  he  began  to  sing  the  old  Scottish  song : 

"  There  was  a  haggis  in  Dunbar, 

Fal  de  ral,  etc. 
Mony  better  and  few  waur, 

Fal  deral,"  etc. 

"I  am  much  obliged  to  Mr.  Cordery  for  his  attentions," 
said  the  Lord  Keeper ;  "  and  pray  who  has  had  the  charge  of 
you  while  I  was  away,  Mr.  Henry?" 

"  Norman  and  Bob  Wilson,  f orbye  my  own  self. " 
"A  groom  and  a  gamekeeper,  and  your  own  silly  self— 
proper  guardians  for  a  young  advocate !    Why,  you  will  never 


202  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

know  any  statutes  but  those  against  shooting  red-deer,  killing 
salmon,  and " 

"  And  speaking  of  red-game, "  said  the  young  scapegrace, 
interrupting  his  father  without  scruple  or  hesitation,  "  Norman 
has  shot  a  buck,  and  I  showed  the  branches  to  Lucy,  and  she 
says  they  have  but  eight  tynes ;  and  she  says  that  you  killed 
a  deer  with  Lord  Bittlebrains's  hounds,  when  you  were  west 
away,  and,  do  you  know,  she  says  it  had  ten  tynes;  is  it 
true?" 

"It  may  have  had  twenty,  Henry,  for  what  I  know; 
but  if  you  go  to  that  gentleman,  he  can  tell  you  all 
about  it.  Go  speak  to  him,  Henry;  it  is  the  Master  of 
Kavenswood. " 

While  they  conversed  thus,  the  father  and  son  were  stand- 
ing by  the  fire ;  and  the  Master,  having  walked  towards  the 
upper  end  of  the  apartment,  stood  with  his  back  towards 
them,  apparently  engaged  in  examining  one  of  the  paintings. 
The  boy  ran  up  to  him,  and  pulled  him  by  the  skirt  of  the 
coat  with  the  freedom  of  a  spoilt  child,  saying,  "  I  say,  sir, 

if  you  please  to  tell  me "  but  when  the  Master  turned 

round,  and  Henry  saw  his  face,  he  became  suddenly  and  to- 
tally disconcerted ;  walked  two  or  three  steps  backward,  and 
still  gazed  on  Ravenswood  with  an  air  of  fear  and  wonder, 
which  had  totally  banished  from  his  features  their  usual  ex- 
pression of  pert  vivacity. 

"  Come  to  me,  young  gentleman, "  said  the  Master,  "  and  I 
will  tell  you  all  I  know  about  the  hunt." 

"  Go  to  the  gentleman,  Henry, "  said  his  father ;  "  you  are 
not  used  to  be  so  shy." 

But  neither  invitation  nor  exhortation  had  any  effect  on  the 
boy.  On  the  contrary,  he  turned  round  as  soon  as  he  had 
completed  his  survey  of  the  Master,  and  walking  as  cautiously 
as  if  he  had  been  treading  upon  eggs,  he  glided  back  to  his 
father,  and  pressed  as  close  to  him  as  possible.  Ravenswood, 
to  avoid  hearing  the  dispute  betwixt  the  father  and  the  over- 
indulged boy,  thought  it  most  polite  to  turn  his  face  once 
more  towards  the  pictures,  and  pay  no  attention  to  what  they 
said. 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  203 

"  Why  do  you  not  speak  to  the  Master,  you  little  fool?" 
said  the  Lord  Keeper. 

"  I  am  afraid, "  said  Henry,  in  a  very  low  tone  of  voice. 

"Afraid,  you  goose!"  said  his  father,  giving  him  a  slight 
shake  by  the  collar.     "  What  makes  you  afraid?" 

"  W^hat  makes  him  so  like  the  picture  of  Sir  Malise  Ravens- 
wood  then?"   said  the  boy,  whispering. 

"What  picture,  you  natural?"  said  his  father.  "I  used  to 
think  you  only  a  scapegrace,  but  I  believe  you  will  turn  out  a 
born  idiot." 

"  I  tell  you,  it  is  the  picture  of  old  Malise  of  Ravenswood, 
and  he  is  as  like  it  as  if  he  had  loupen  out  of  the  canvas; 
and  it  is  up  in  the  old  baron's  hall  that  the  maids  launder  the 
clothes  in ;  and  it  has  armour,  and  not  a  coat  like  the  gentle- 
man ;  and  he  has  not  a  beard  and  whiskers  like  the  picture ; 
and  it  has  another  kind  of  thing  about  the  throat,  and  no 
band-strings  as  he  has;  and " 

"And  why  should  not  the  gentleman  be  like  his  ancestor, 
you  silly  boy?"  said  the  Lord  Keeper. 

"  Ay ;  but  if  he  is  come  to  chase  us  all  out  of  the  castle, " 
said  the  boy,  "and  has  twenty  men  at  his  back  in  disguise; 
and  is  come  to  say,  with  a  hollow  voice,  'I  bide  my  time'; 
and  is  to  kill  you  on  the  hearth  as  Malise  did  the  other  man, 
and  whose  blood  is  still  to  be  seen!" 

"Hush!  nonsense!"  said  the  Lord  Keeper,  not  himself 
much  pleased  to  hear  these  disagreeable  coincidences  forced 
on  his  notice.  "  Master,  here  comes  Lockhard  to  say  supper 
is  served." 

And,  at  the  same  instant,  Lucy  entered  at  another  door, 
having  changed  her  dress  since  her  return.  The  exquisite 
feminine  beauty  of  her  countenance,  now  shaded  only  by  a 
profusion  of  sunny  tresses;  the  sylph-like  form,  disencum- 
bered of  her  heavy  riding-skirt  and  mantled  in  azure  silk ;  the 
grace  of  her  manner  and  of  her  smile,  cleared,  with  a  celerity 
which  surprised  the  Master  himself,  all  the  gloomy  and  un- 
favourable thoughts  which  had  for  some  time  overclouded  his 
fancy.  In  those  features,  so  simply  sweet,  he  could  trace  no 
alliance  with  the  pinched  visage  of  the  peak-bearded,  black- 


204  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

capped  Puritan,  or  his  starched,  withered  spouse,  with  the 
craft  expressed  in  the  Lord  Keeper's  countenance,  or  the 
haughtiness  which  predominated  in  that  of  his  lady ;  and,  while 
he  gazed  on  Lucy  Ashton,  she  seemed  to  be  an  angel  de- 
scended on  earth,  unallied  to  the  coarser  mortals  among  whom 
she  deigned  to  dwell  for  a  season.  Such  is  the  power  of 
beauty  over  a  youthful  and  enthusiastic  fancy. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 


I  do  too  ill  in  this, 
And  must  not  think  but  that  a  parent's  plaint 
Will  move  the  heavens  to  pour  forth  misery 
Upon  the  head  of  disobediency. 
Yet  reason  tells  us,  parents  are  o'erseen, 
When  with  too  strict  a  rein  they  do  hold  in 
Their  child's  affection,  and  control  that  love, 
Which  the  high  powers  divine  inspire  them  with. 
TJie  Hog  hath  lost  his  Pearl. 

The  feast  of  Ravenswood  Castle  was  as  remarkable  for  its 
profusion  as  that  of  Wolf's  Crag  had  been  for  its  ill- veiled 
penury.  The  Lord  Keeper  might  feel  internal  pride  at  the 
contrast,  but  he  had  too  much  tact  to  suffer  it  to  appear.  On 
the  contrar}^,  he  seemed  to  remember  with  pleasure  what  he 
called  Mr.  Balderstone's  bachelor's  meal,  and  to  be  rather 
disgusted  than  pleased  with  the  display  upon  his  own  groan- 
ing board. 

"  We  do  these  things, "  he  said,  "  because  others  do  them ; 
but  I  was  bred  a  plain  man  at  mj  father's  frugal  table,  and 
I  should  like  well  would  my  wife  and  family  permit  me  to 
return  to  my  sowens  and  my  poor-man-of -mutton."  ^ 

This  was  a  little  overstretched.  The  Master  only  answered, 
"  That  different  ranks — I  mean, "  said  he,  correcting  himself, 
"  different  degrees  of  wealth  require  a  different  style  of  house- 
keeping. " 

This  dry  remark  put  a  stop  to  further  conversation  on  the 
subject,  nor  is  it  necessary  to  record  that  which  was  substi- 

1  See  Note  8. 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  205 

tuted  in  its  place.  The  evening  was  spent  with  freedom,  and 
even  cordiality ;  and  Henry  had  so  far  overcome  his  first  ap- 
prehensions, that  he  had  settled  a  party  for  coursing  a  stag 
with  the  representative  and  living  resemblance  of  grim  Sir 
Malise  of  Ravenswood,  called  the  Revenger.  The  next  morn- 
ing was  the  appointed  time.  It  rose  upon  active  sportsmen 
and  successful  sport.  The  banquet  came  in  course:  and  a 
pressing  invitation  to  tarry  yet  another  day  was  given  and 
accepted.  This  Ravenswood  had  resolved  should  be  the  last 
of  his  stay ;  but  he  recollected  he  had  not  yet  visited  the  an- 
cient and  devoted  servant  of  his  house,  Old  Alice,  and  it  was 
but  kind  to  dedicate  one  morning  to  the  gratification  of  so 
ancient  an  adherent. 

To  visit  Alice,  therefore,  a  day  was  devoted,  and  Lucy  was 
the  Master's  guide  upon  the  way.  Henry,  it  is  true,  accom- 
panied them,  and  took  from  their  walk  the  air  of  a  tete-a-tete, 
while,  in  reality,  it  was  little  else,  considering  the  variety  of 
circumstances  which  occurred  to  prevent  the  boy  from  givmg 
the  least  attention  to  what  passed  between  his  companions. 
Now  a  rook  settled  on  a  branch  within  shot;  anon  a  hare 
crossed  their  path,  and  Henry  and  his  greyhound  went  astray 
in  pursuit  of  it;  then  he  had  to  hold  a  long  conversation  with 
the  forester,  which  detained  him  a  while  behind  his  compan- 
ions ;  and  again  he  went  to  examine  the  earth  of  a  badger, 
which  carried  him  on  a  good  way  before  them. 

The  conversation  betwixt  the  Master  and  his  sister,  mean- 
while, took  an  interesting,  and  almost  a  confidential,  turn. 
She  could  not  help  mentioning  her  sense  of  the  pain  he  must 
feel  in  visiting  scenes  so  well  known  to  him,  bearing  now  an 
aspect  so  different ;  and  so  gently  was  her  sympathy  expressed, 
that  Ravenswood  felt  it  for  a  moment  as  a  full  requital  of  all 
his  misfortunes.  Some  such  sentiment  escaped  him,  which 
Lucy  heard  with  more  of  confusion  than  displeasure ;  and  she 
may  be  forgiven  the  imprudence  of  listening  to  such  language, 
considering  that  the  situation  in  which  she  was  placed  by  her 
father  seemed  to  authorise  Ravenswood  to  use  it.  Yet  she 
made  an  effort  to  turn  the  conversation,  and  she  succeeded; 
for  the  Master  also  had  advanced  farther  than  he  intended, 


206  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

and  his  conscience  had  instantly  checked  him  when  he  found 
himself  on  the  verge  of  speaking  of  love  to  the  daughter  of  Sir 
AVilliam  Ashton. 

They  now  approached  the  hut  of  Old  Alice,  which  had  of 
late  been  rendered  more  comfortable,  and  presented  an  ap- 
pearance less  picturesque,  perhaps,  but  far  neater  than  before. 
The  old  woman  Avas  on  her  accustomed  seat  beneath  the  weep- 
ing birch,  basking,  with  the  listless  enjoyment  of  age  and  in- 
firmity, in  the  beams  of  the  autumn  sun.  At  the  arrival  of 
her  visitors  she  turned  her  head  towards  them.  ''  I  hear  your 
step.  Miss  Ashton, "  she  said,  "  but  the  gentleman  who  attends 
you  is  not  my  lord,  your  father." 

"And  why  should  you  think  so,  Alice?"  said  Lucy;  "or 
how  is  it  possible  for  you  to  judge  so  accurately  by  the  sound 
of  a  step,  on  this  firm  earth,  and  in  the  open  air?" 

"  My  hearing,  my  child,  has  been  sharpened  by  my  blind- 
ness, and  I  can  now  draw  conclusions  from  the  slightest  sounds, 
which  formerly  reached  my  ears  as  unheeded  as  they  now  ap- 
proach yours.  Necessity  is  a  stern  but  an  excellent  school- 
mistress, and  she  that  has  lost  her  sight  must  collect  her  in- 
formation from  other  sources." 

"  Well,  you  hear  a  man's  step,  I  grant  it,"  said  Lucy;  "  but 
why,  Alice,  may  it  not  be  my  father's?" 

"  The  pace  of  age,  my  love,  is  timid  and  cautious :  the  foot 
takes  leave  of  the  earth  slowly,  and  is  planted  down  upon  it 
with  hesitation ;  it  is  the  hasty  and  determined  step  of  j^outh 
that  I  now  hear,  and — could  I  give  credit  to  so  strange  a 
thought — I  should  say  it  was  the  step  of  a  Eavenswood. " 

"  This  is  indeed, "  said  Ravenswood,  "  an  acuteness  of  organ 
which  I  could  not  have  credited  had  I  not  witnessed  it.  I  am 
indeed  the  Master  of  Eavenswood,  Alice, — the  son  of  your  old 
master." 

"You!"  said  the  old  woman,  with  almost  a  scream  of  sur- 
prise— "you  the  Master  of  Eavenswood — here — in  this  place, 
and  thus  accompanied!  I  cannot  believe  it.  Let  me  pass  my 
old  hand  over  your  face,  that  my  touch  may  bear  witness  to 
my  ears." 

The  Master  sate   down   beside   her  on  the  earthen  bank, 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  207 

and  permitted  her  to  touch  his  features  with  her  trembling 
hand. 

"It  is  indeed!"  she  said — "it  is  the  features  as  well  as  the 
voice  of  Ravenswood — the  high  lines  of  pride,  as  well  as  the 
bold  and  haughty  tone.  But  what  do  you  here,  Master  of 
Ravenswood? — what  do  you  in  your  enemy's  domain,  and  in 
company  with  his  child?" 

As  Old  Alice  spoke,  her  face  kindled,  as  probably  that  of 
an  ancient  feudal  vassal  might  have  done  in  whose  presence 
his  youthful  liege-lord  had  showed  some  symptom  of  degener- 
ating from  the  spirit  of  his  ancestors. 

"  The  Master  of  Ravenswood,"  said  Lucy,  who  liked  not  the 
tone  of  this  expostulation,  and  was  desirous  to  abridge  it,  "  is 
upon  a  visit  to  my  father." 

"Indeed!"  said  the  old  blind  woman,  in  an  accent  of  sur- 
prise. 

"  I  knew,"  continued  Lucy,  "  I  should  do  him  a  pleasure  by 
conducting  him  to  your  cottage." 

"  Where,  to  say  the  truth,  Alice, "  said  Ravenswood,  "  I  ex- 
pected a  more  cordial  reception." 

"It  is  most  wonderful!"  said  the  old  woman,  muttering  to 
herself ;  "  but  the  ways  of  Heaven  are  not  like  our  ways,  and 
its  judgments  are  brought  about  by  means  far  beyond  our 
fathoming.  Hearken,  young  man,"  she  said;  "your  fathers 
were  implacable,  but  they  were  honourable,  foes ;  they  sought 
not  to  ruin  their  enemies  under  the  mask  of  hospitality. 
"What  have  you  to  do  with  Lucy  Ashton?  why  should  your 
steps  move  in  the  same  footpath  with  hers?  why  should  your 
voice  sound  in  the  same  chord  and  time  with  those  of  Sir 
William  Ashton' s  daughter?  Young  man,  he  who  aims  at  re- 
venge by  dishonourable  means " 

"Be  silent,  woman!"  said  Ravenswood,  sternly;  "  is  it  the 
devil  that  prompts  your  voice?  Know  that  this  young  lady 
has  not  on  earth  a  friend  who  would  venture  farther  to  save 
her  from  injury  or  from  insult." 

"And  is  it  even  so?"  said  the  old  woman,  in  an  altered  but 
melancholy  tone,  "then  God  help  you  both!" 

"Amen!  Alice,"  said  Lucy,  who  had  not  comprehended  the 


208  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

import  of  what  the  blind  woman  had  hinted,  "  and  send  you 
your  senses,  Alice,  and  your  goodhumour.  If  you  hold  this 
mysterious  language,  instead  of  welcoming  your  friends,  they 
will  think  of  you  as  other  people  do." 

"  And  how  do  other  people  think?"  said  Eavenswood,  for  he 
also  began  to  believe  the  old  woman  spoke  with  incoherence. 

"They  think,"  said  Henry  Ashton,  who  came  up  at  that 
moment,  and  whispered  into  Ravenswood's  ear,  "  that  she  is 
a  witch,  that  should  have  been  burned  with  them  that  suffered 
at  Haddington." 

"What  is  that  you  say?"  said  Alice,  turning  towards  the 
boy,  her  sightless  visage  inflamed  with  passion ;  "  that  I  am 
a  witch,  and  ought  to  have  suffered  with  the  helpless  old 
wretches  who  were  murdered  at  Haddington?" 

"  Hear  to  that  now, "  again  whispered  Henry,  "  and  me 
whispering  lower  than  a  wren  cheeps!" 

"  If  the  usurer,  and  the  oppressor,  and  the  grinder  of  the 
poor  man's  face,  and  the  remover  of  ancient  landmarks,  and 
the  subverter  of  ancient  houses,  were  at  the  same  stake  with 
me,  I  could  say,  'Light  the  fire,  in  God's  name!'  " 

"  This  is  dreadful,"  said  Lucy;  "  I  have  never  seen  the  poor 
deserted  woman  in  this  state  of  mind ;  but  age  and  poverty 
can  ill  bear  reproach.  Come,  Henry,  we  will  leave  her  for 
the  present;  she  wishes  to  speak  with  the  Master  alone.  We 
will  walk  homeward,  and  rest  us, "  she  added,  looking  at  Ea- 
venswood, "by  the  Mermaiden's  Well." 

"  And  Alice, "  said  the  boy,  "  if  you  know  of  any  hare  that 
comes  through  among  the  deer,  and  makes  them  drop  their 
calves  out  of  season,  you  may  tell  her,  with  my  compliments 
to  command,  that  if  Norman  has  not  got  a  silver  bullet  ready 
for  her,  I'll  lend  him  one  of  my  doublet-buttons  on  purpose." 

Alice  made  no  answer  till  she  was  aware  that  the  sister  and 
brother  were  out  of  hearing.  She  then  said  to  Ravenswood : 
"And  you,  too,  are  angry  with  me  for  my  love?  It  is  just 
that  strangers  should  be  offended,  but  you,  too,  are  angry!" 

"  I  am  not  angry,  Alice, "  said  the  Master,  "  only  surprised 
that  you,  Avhose  good  sense  I  have  heard  so  often  praised, 
should  give  way  to  offensive  and  unfounded  suspicions." 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  209 

"Offensive!"  said  Alice.  "  Ay,  trutli  is  ever  offensive ;  but, 
surely,  not  unfounded." 

"I  tell  you,  dame,  most  groundless,"  replied  Ravenswood. 

"  Then  the  world  has  changed  its  wont,  and  the  Ravens- 
woods  their  hereditary  temper,  and  the  eyes  of  Old  Alice's 
understanding  are  yet  more  blind  than  those  of  her  counte- 
nance. When  did  a  Ravenswood  seek  the  house  of  his  enemy 
but  with  the  purpose  of  revenge?  and  hither  are  you  come, 
Edgar  Ravenswood,  either  in  fatal  anger  or  in  still  more  fa- 
tal love." 

"  In  neither,"  said  Ravenswood,  "  I  give  you  mme  honour — 
I  mean,  I  assure  j^ou." 

Alice  could  not  see  his  blushing  cheek,  but  she  noticed  his 
hesitation,  and  that  he  retracted  the  pledge  which  he  seemed 
at  first  disposed  to  attach  to  his  denial. 

"  It  is  so,  then, "  she  said,  "  and  therefore  she  is  to  tarry 
by  the  Mermaiden's  Well!  Often  has  it  been  called  a  place 
fatal  to  the  race  of  Ravenswood — often  has  it  proved  so;  but 
never  was  it  likely  to  verify  old  sayings  as  much  as  on  this 
day." 

"  You  drive  me  to  madness,  Alice, "  said  Ravenswood ;  "  you 
are  more  silly  and  more  superstitious  than  old  Balderstone. 
Are  you  such  a  wretched  Christian  as  to  suppose  I  would  in 
the  present  day  levy  war  against  the  Ashton  family,  as  was 
the  sanguinary  custom  in  elder  times?  or  do  you  suppose  me 
so  foolish,  that  I  cannot  walk  by  a  young  lady's  side  without 
plunging  headlong  in  love  with  her?" 

"My  thoughts,"  replied  Alice,  "are  my  own;  and  if  my 
mortal  sight  is  closed  to  objects  present  with  me,  it  may  be 
I  can  look  with  r^iore  steadiness  into  future  events.  Are  you 
prepared  to  sit  lowest  at  the  board  which  was  once  your  fa- 
ther's own,  unwillingly,  as  a  connexion  and  ally  of  his  proud 
successor?  Are  you  ready  to  live  on  his  bounty;  to  follow 
him  in  the  bye-paths  of  intrigue  and  chicane,  which  none  can 
better  point  out  to  you ;  to  gnaw  the  bones  of  his  prey  when 
he  has  devoured  the  substance?  Can  you  say  as  Sir  William 
Ashton  says,  think  as  he  thinks,  vote  as  he  votes,  and  call 
your  father's  murderer  your  worshipful  father-in-law  and  re- 
14 


210  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

vered  patron?  Master  of  Ravens  wood,  I  am  the  eldest  ser- 
vant of  your  house,  and  I  would  rather  see  you  shrouded  and 
coffined!" 

The  tumult  in  Ravenswood's  mind  was  uncommonly  great; 
she  struck  upon  and  awakened  a  chord  which  he  had  for  some 
time  successfully  silenced.  He  strode  backwards  and  forwards 
through  the  little  garden  with  a  hasty  pace;  and  at  length 
checking  himself,  and  stopping  right  opposite  to  Alice,  he  ex- 
claimed :  "  Woman !  on  the  verge  of  the  grave,  dare  you  urge 
the  son  of  your  master  to  blood  and  to  revenge?" 

"  God  forbid !"  said  Alice,  solemnly ;  "  and  therefore  I  would 
have  you  depart  these  fatal  bounds,  where  your  love,  as  well 
as  your  hatred,  threatens  sure  mischief,  or  at  least  disgrace, 
both  to  yourself  and  others.  I  would  shield,  were  it  in  the 
power  of  this  withered  hand,  the  Ashtons  from  you,  and  you 
from  them,  and  both  from  their  own  passions.  You  can  have 
nothing — ought  to  have  nothing,  in  common  with  them.  Be- 
gone from  among  them ;  and  if  God  has  destined  vengeance  on 
the  oppressor's  house,  do  not  you  be  the  instrument." 

"  I  will  think  on  what  you  have  said,  Alice, "  said  Ravens- 
wood,  more  composedly.  "I  believe  you  mean  truly  and 
faithfully  by  me,  but  you  urge  the  freedom  of  an  ancient  do- 
mestic somewhat  too  far.  But  farewell ;  and  if  Heaven  afford 
me  better  means,  I  will  not  fail  to  contribute  to  your  comfort. " 

He  attempted  to  put  a  piece  of  gold  into  her  hand,  which 
she  refused  to  receive ;  and,  in  the  slight  struggle  attending 
his  wish  to  force  it  upon  her,  it  dropped  to  the  earth. 

"  Let  it  remain  an  instant  on  the  ground,"  said  Alice,  as  the 
Master  stooped  to  raise  it;  "  and  believe  me,  that  piece  of  gold 
is  an  emblem  of  her  whom  you  love;  she  is  as  precious,  I 
grant,  but  you  must  stoop  even  to  abasement  before  you  can 
win  her.  Eor  me,  I  have  as  little  to  do  with  gold  as  with 
earthly  passions;  and  the  best  news  that  the  world  has  in 
store  for  me  is,  that  Edgar  Ravenswood  is  an  hundred  miles 
distant  from  the  seat  of  his  ancestors,  with  the  determination 
never  again  to  behold  it." 

"  Alice, "  said  the  Master,  who  began  to  think  this  earnest- 
ness had  some  more  secret  cause  than  arose  from  anything 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  211 

that  the  blind  woman  could  have  gathered  from  this  casual 
visit,  "  I  have  heard  you  praised  by  my  mother  for  your  sense, 
acuteness,  and  fidelity;  you  are  no  fool  to  start  at  shadows, 
or  to  dread  old  superstitious  saws,  like  Caleb  Balderstone; 
tell  me  distinctly  where  my  danger  lies,  if  you  are  aware  of 
any  which  is  tending  towards  me.  If  I  know  myself,  I  am 
free  from  all  such  views  respecting  Miss  Ashton  as  you  impute 
to  me.  I  have  necessary  business  to  settle  with  Sir  William; 
that  arranged,  I  shall  depart,  and  with  as  little  wish,  as  you 
may  easily  believe,  to  return  to  a  place  full  of  melancholy 
subjects  of  reflection,  as  you  have  to  see  me  here." 

Alice  bent  her  sightless  eyes  on  the  ground,  and  was  for 
some  time  plunged  in  deep  meditation.  "  I  will  speak  the 
truth,"  she  said  at  length,  raising  up  her  head — "I  will  tell 
you  the  source  of  my  apprehensions,  whether  my  candour  be 
for  good  or  for  evil.  Lucy  Ashton  loves  you,  Lord  of  Ravens- 
wood!" 

"  It  is  impossible, "  said  the  Master. 

"  A  thousand  circumstances  have  proved  it  to  me, "  replied 
the  blind  woman.  "  Her  thoughts  have  turned  on  no  one  else 
since  you  saved  her  from  death,  and  that  my  experienced 
judgment  has  won  from  her  own  conversation.  Having  told 
you  this — if  you  are  indeed  a  gentleman  and  your  father's 
son — you  will  make  it  a  motive  for  flying  from  her  presence. 
Her  passion  will  die  like  a  lamp  for  want  of  that  the  flame 
should  feed  upon;  but,  if  you  remain  here,  her  destruction, 
or  yours,  or  that  of  both,  will  be  the  inevitable  consequence 
of  her  misplaced  attachment.  I  tell  you  this  secret  unwill- 
ingly, but  it  could  not  have  been  hid  long  from  your  own  ob- 
servation, and  it  is  better  you  learn  it  from  mine.  Depart, 
Master  of  Ravenswood;  you  have  my  secret.  If  you  remain 
an  hour  under  Sir  William  Ashton 's  roof  without  the  resolu- 
tion to  marry  his  daughter,  you  are  a  villain ;  if  with  the  pur- 
pose of  allying  yourself  with  him,  you  are  an  infatuated  and 
predestined  fool." 

So  saying,  the  old  blind  woman  arose,  assumed  her  staff, 
and,  tottering  to  her  hut,  entered  it  and  closed  the  door,  leav- 
ing  Ravenswood  to  his  own  reflections. 


212  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 


CHAPTER    XX. 

Lovelier  in  her  own  retired  abode 

.     .     .    than  Naiad  by  the  side 

Of  Grecian  brook — or  Lady  of  the  Mere 

Lone  sitting  by  the  shores  of  old  romance. 

WOKDSWOKTH. 

The  meditations  of  Ravenswood  were  of  a  very  mixed  com- 
plexion. He  saw  himself  at  once  in  the  very  dilemma  which 
he  had  for  some  time  felt  apprehensive  he  might  be  placed 
in.  The  pleasure  he  felt  in  Lucy's  company  had  indeed  ap- 
proached to  fascination,  yet  it  had  never  altogether  surniomit- 
ed  his  internal  reluctance  to  wed  with  the  daughter  of  his 
father's  foe;  and  even  in  forgiving  Sir  ^Yilliam  Ashton  the 
injuries  which  his  family  had  received,  and  giving  him  credit 
for  the  kind  intentions  he  professed  to  entertain,  he  could  not 
bring  himself  to  contemplate  as  possible  an  alliance  betwixt 
their  houses.  Still,  he  felt  that  Alice  spoke  truth,  and  that 
his  honour  now  required  he  should  take  an  instant  leave  of 
Ravenswood  Castle,  or  become  a  suitor  of  Lucy  Ashton.  The 
possibility  of  being  rejected,  too,  should  he  make  advances  to 
her  wealthy  and  powerful  father — to  sue  for  the  hand  of  an 
Ashton  and  be  refused — this  were  a  consummation  too  dis- 
graceful. "I  wish  her  well,"  he  said  to  himself,  "and  for 
her  sake  I  forgive  the  injuries  her  father  has  done  to  my 
house;  but  I  will  never — no,  never  see  her  more!" 

With  one  bitter  pang  he  adopted  this  resolution,  just  as  he 
came  to  where  two  paths  parted:  the  one  to  the  Mermaiden's 
Fountain,  where  he  knew  Lucy  waited  him,  the  other  leading 
to  the  castle  by  another  and  more  circuitous  road.  He  paused 
an  instant  when  about  to  take  the  latter  path,  thinking  what 
apology  he  should  make  for  conduct  which  must  needs  seem 
extraordinary,  and  had  just  muttered  to  himself,  "  Sudden 
news  from  Edinburgh — any  pretext  will  serve;  only  let  me 
dally  no  longer  here, "  when  young  Henry  came  flying  up  to 
him,    half  out  of   breath:    "Master,   Master,   you  must  give 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  213 

Lucy  your  arm  back  to  the  castle,  for  I  cannot  give  her  mine; 
for  Norman  is  waiting  for  me,  and  I  am  to  go  with  him  to 
make  his  ring-walk,  and  I  would  not  stay  away  for  a  gold 
Jacobus;  and  Lucy  is  afraid  to  walk  home  alone,  though 
all  the  wild  nowt  have  been  shot,  and  so  you  must  come  away 
directly." 

Betwixt  two  scales  equally  loaded,  a  feather's  weight  will 
turn  the  scale.  "  It  is  impossible  for  me  to  leave  the  young 
lady  in  the  wood  alone, "  said  Ravenswood ;  "  to  see  her  once 
more  can  be  of  little  consequence,  after  the  frequent  meetings 
we  have  had.  I  ought,  too,  in  courtesy,  to  apprise  her  of  my 
intention  to  quit  the  castle." 

And  ha  zing  thus  satisfied  himself  that  he  was  taking  not 
only  a  wise,  but  an  absolutely  necessary,  step,  he  took  the 
path  to  the  fatal  fountain.  Henry  no  sooner  saw  him  on  the 
way  to  join  his  sister  than  he  was  off  like  lightning  in  another 
direction,  to  enjoy  the  society  of  the  forester  in  their  conge- 
nial pursuits.  Ravenswood,  not  allowing  himself  to  give  a 
second  thought  to  the  propriety  of  his  own  conduct,  walked 
with  a  quick  step  towards  the  stream,  where  he  found  Lucy 
seated  alone  by  the  ruin. 

She  sate  upon  one  of  the  disjointed  stones  of  the  ancient 
fountain,  and  seemed  to  watch  the  progress  of  its  current,  as 
it  bubbled  forth  to  daylight,  in  gay  and  sparkling  profusion, 
from  under  the  shadow  of  the  ribbed  and  darksome  vault, 
with  which  veneration,  or  perhaps  remorse,  had  canopied  its 
source.  To  a  superstitious  eye,  Lucy  Ashton,  folded  in  her 
plaided  mantle,  with  her  long  hair,  escaping  partly  from  the 
snood  and  falling  upon  her  silver  neck,  might  hav^e  suggested 
the  idea  of  the  murdered  Kymph  of  the  Fountain.  But  Ra- 
venswood only  saw  a  female  exquisitely  beautiful,  and  ren- 
dered yet  more  so  in  his  eyes — how  could  it  be  otherwise? — 
by  the  consciousness  that  she  had  placed  her  affections  on 
him.  As  he  gazed  on  her,  he  felt  his  fixed  resolution  melt- 
ing like  wax  in  the  sun,  and  hastened,  therefore,  from 
his  concealment  in  the  neighbouring  thicket.  She  saluted 
him,  but  did  not  arise  from  the  stone  on  which  she  was 
seated. 


214  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

''  My  madcap  brother, "  she  said,  "  has  left  me,  but  I  expect 
him  back  in  a  few  mmutes;  for,  fortunately,  as  anything 
pleases  him  for  a  minute,  nothing  has  charms  for  him  much 
longer. " 

Ravenswood  did  not  feel  the  power  of  informing  Lucy  that 
her  brother  meditated  a  distant  excursion,  and  would  not  re- 
turn in  haste.  He  sate  himself  down  on  the  grass,  at  some 
little  distance  from  Miss  Ashton,  and  both  were  silent  for  a 
short  space. 

"  I  like  this  spot, "  said  Lucy  at  length,  as  if  she  found  the 
silence  embarrassing;  "the  bubbling  murmur  of  the  clear 
fountam,  the  waving  of  the  trees,  the  profusion  of  grass  and 
wild-flowers  that  rise  among  the  ruins,  make  it  like  a  scene  in 
romance.  I  think,  too,  I  have  heard  it  is  a  spot  connected 
with  the  legendary  lore  which  I  love  so  well." 

"  It  has  been  thought, "  answered  Ravenswood,  "  a  fatal  spot 
to  my  family ;  and  I  have  some  reason  to  term  it  so,  for  it  was 
here  1  first  saw  Miss  Ashton ;  and  it  is  here  I  must  take  my 
leave  of  her  for  ever." 

The  blood,  which  the  first  part  of  this  speech  called  into 
Lucy's  cheeks,  was  speedily  expelled  by  its  conclusion. 

"To  take  leave  of  us.  Master!"  she  exclaimed;  "what  can 
have  happened  to  hurry  you  away?  I  know  AJ.ice  hates — I 
mean  dislikes  my  father ;  and  I  hardly  understood  her  humour 
to-day,  it  was  so  mysterious.  But  I  am  certain  my  father  is 
sincerely  grateful  for  the  high  service  you  rendered  us.  Let 
me  hope  that,  having  won  your  friendship  hardly,  we  shall 
not  lose  it  lightly." 

"Lose  it.  Miss  Ashton!"  said  the  Master  of  Ravenswood. 
"No;  wherever  my  fortune  calls  me — whatever  she  inflicts 
upon  me — it  is  your  friend — your  sincere  friend,  who  acts  or 
suffers.  But  there  is  a  fate  on  me,  and  I  must  go,  or  I  shall 
add  the  ruin  of  others  to  my  own." 

"  Yet  do  not  go  from  us,  Master, "  said  Lucy ;  and  she  laid 
her  hand,  in  all  simplicity  and  kindness,  upon  the  skirt  of  his 
cloak,  as  if  to  detain  him.  "  You  shall  not  part  from  us.  My 
father  is  powerful,  he  has  friends  that  are  more  so  than  him- 
self ;  do  not  go  till  you  see  what  his  gratitude  will  do  for  joUo 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  215 

Believe  me,  he  is  already  labouring  in  your  behalf  with  the 
council. " 

"  It  may  be  so, "  said  the  Master,  proudly ;  "  yet  it  is  not 
to  your  father,  Miss  Ashton,  but  to  my  own  exertions,  that 
I  ought  to  owe  success  in  the  career  on  which  1  am  about  to 
enter.  My  preparations  are  already  made — a  sword  and  a 
cloak,  and  a  bold  heart  and  a  determined  hand." 

Lucy  covered  her  face  with  her  hands,  and  the  tears,  in 
spite  of  her,  forced  their  way  between  her  fingers. 

"Forgive  me,"  said  Ravenswood,  taking  her  right  hand, 
which,  after  slight  resistance,  she  yielded  to  him,  still  con- 
tinuing to  shade  her  face  with  the  left — "  I  am  too  rude — too 
rough — too  intractable  to  deal  with  any  being  so  soft  and  gen- 
tle as  you  are.  Forget  that  so  stern  a  vision  has  crossed  your 
path  of  life ;  and  let  me  pursue  mine,  sure  that  I  can  meet 
with  no  worse  misfortune  after  the  moment  it  divides  me  from 
your  side." 

Lucy  wept  on,  but  her  tears  were  less  bitter.  Each  attempt 
which  the  Master  made  to  explain  his  purpose  of  departure 
only  proved  a  new  evidence  of  his  desire  to  stay;  until,  at 
length,  instead  of  bidding  her  farewell,  he  gave  his  faith  to 
her  for  ever,  and  received  her  troth  in  return.  The  whole 
passed  so  suddenly,  and  arose  so  much  out  of  the  immediate 
impulse  of  the  moment,  that  ere  the  Master  of  Eavens^vood 
could  reflect  upon  the  consequences  of  the  step  which  he  had 
taken,  their  lips,  as  well  as  their  hands,  had  pledged  the  sin- 
cerity of  their  affection. 

"And  now,"  he  said,  after  a  moment's  consideration,  "it 
is  fit  I  should  speak  to  Sir  William  Ashton  5  he  must  know 
of  our  engagement.  Ravenswood  must  not  seem  to  dwell 
under  his  roof  to  solicit  clandestinely  the  affections  of  his 
daughter. " 

"  You  would  not  speak  to  my  father  on  the  subject?"  said 
Lucy,  doubtingly ;  and  then  added  more  warmly :  "  Oh  do  not — 
do  not!  Let  your  lot  in  life  be  determined — your  station 
and  purpose  ascertained,  before  you  address  my  father.  I  am 
sure  he  loves  you — I  think  he  will  consent;  but  then  my 
mother !" 


216  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

She  paused,  ashamed  to  express  the  doubt  she  felt  how  far 
her  father  dared  to  form  any  positive  resolution  on  this  most 
important  subject  without  the  consent  of  his  lady. 

"Your  mother,  my  Lucy!"  replied  Eavenswood.  "She  is 
of  the  house  of  Douglas,  a  house  that  has  intermarried  with 
mine  even  when  its  glory  and  power  were  at  the  highest; 
what  could  your  mother  object  to  my  alliance?" 

"I  did  not  say  object,"  said  Lucy;  "but  she  is  jealous  of 
her  rights,  and  may  claim  a  mother's  title  to  be  consulted  in 
the  first  instance." 

"Be  it  so,"  replied  Eavenswood.  "London  is  distant,  but 
a  letter  will  reach  it  and  receive  an  answer  within  a  fort- 
night; I  will  not  press  on  the  Lord  Keeper  for  an  instant 
reply  to  my  proposal." 

"  But, "  hesitated  Lucy,  "  were  it  not  better  to  wait — to 
wait  a  few  weeks?  Were  my  mother  to  see  you — to  know 
you,  I  am  sure  she  would  approve ;  but  you  are  unacquainted 
personally,  and  the  ancient  feud  between  the  families " 

Eavenswood  fixed  upon  her  his  keen  dark  eyes,  as  if  he  was 
desirous  of  penetrating  into  her  very  soul. 

"  Lucy,"  he  said,  "  I  have  sacrificed  to  you  projects  of  ven- 
geance long  nursed,  and  sworn  to  with  ceremonies  little  better 
than  heathen — I  sacrificed  them  to  your  image,  ere  I  knew  the 
worth  which  it  represented.  In  the  evening  which  succeeded 
my  poor  father's  funeral,  I  cut  a  lock  from  my  hair,  and,  as 
i^  consumed  in  the  fire,  I  swore  that  my  rage  and  revenge 
should  pursue  his  enemies,  until  they  shrivelled  before  me 
like  that  scorched-up  symbol  of  annihilation." 

"  It  was  a  deadly  sin, "  said  Lucy,  turning  pale,  "  to  make 
a  vow  so  fatal." 

"I  acknowledge  it,"  said  Eavenswood,  "and  it  had  been  a 
worse  crime  to  keep  it.  It  was  for  your  sake  that  I  abjured 
these  purposes  of  vengeance,  though  I  scarce  knew  that  such 
was  the  argument  by  which  I  was  conquered,  until  I  saw  you 
once  more,  and  became  conscious  of  the  influence  you  possessed 
over  me." 

"And  why  do  you  now,"  said  Lucy,  "recall  sentiments  so 
terrible — sentiments  so  inconsistent  with  those  you  profess 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  217 

for  me — with  those  your  importunity  has  prevailed  on  me  to 
acknowledge?" 

"Because,"  said  her  lover,  "I  would  impress  on  you  the 
price  at  which  I  have  bought  your  love — the  right  I  have  to 
expect  your  constancy.  I  say  not  that  I  have  bartered  for  it 
the  honour  of  my  house,  its  last  remaining  possession ;  but 
though  I  say  it  not,  and  think  it  not,  I  cannot  conceal  from 
myself  that  the  world  may  do  both." 

"  If  such  are  your  sentiments,"  said  Lucy,  "  you  have  played 
a  cruel  game  with  me.  But  it  is  not  too  late  to  give  it  over  : 
take  back  the  faith  and  troth  which  you  could  not  plight  to 
me  without  suffering  abatement  of  honour — let  what  is  passed 
be  as  if  it  had  not  been — forget  me ;  I  will  endeavour  to  forget 
myself. " 

"You  do  me  injustice,"  said  the  Master  of  Ravenswood — 
"  by  all  I  hold  true  and  honourable,  you  do  me  the  extremity 
of  injustice;  if  I  mentioned  the  price  at  which  I  have  bought 
your  love,  it  is  only  to  show  how  much  I  prize  it,  to  bind  our 
engagement  by  a  still  firmer  tie,  and  to  show,  by  what  I  have 
done  to  attain  this  station  in  your  regard,  how  much  I  must 
suffer  should  you  ever  break  your  faith." 

"And  why,  Ravenswood,"  answered  Lucy,  "should  you 
think  that  possible?  Why  should  you  urge  me  with  even 
the  mention  of  infidelity?  Is  it  because  I  ask  you  to  delay 
applying  to  my  father  for  a  little  space  of  time?  Bind  me 
by  what  vows  }' ou  please ;  if  vows  are  unnecessary  to  secure 
constancy,  they  may  yet  prevent  suspicion." 

Ravenswood  pleaded,  apologised,  and  even  kneeled,  to  ap- 
pease her  displeasure ;  and  Lucy,  as  placable  as  she  was  single- 
hearted,  readily  forgave  the  offence  which  his  doubts  had 
implied.  The  dispute  thus  agitated,  however,  ended  by  the 
lovers  going  through  an  emblematic  ceremony  of  their  troth- 
plight,  of  which  the  vulgar  still  preserve  some  traces.  They 
broke  betwixt  them  the  thin  broad-piece  of  gold  which  Alice 
had  refused  to  receive  from  Ravenswood. 

"  And  never  shall  this  leave  my  bosom, "  said  Lucy,  as  she 
hung  the  piece  of  gold  round  her  neck,  and  concealed  it  with 
her  handkerchief,  "  until  you,  Edgar  Ravenswood,  ask  me  to 


218  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

resign  it  to  you ;  and,  while  I  wear  it,  never  shall  that  heart 
acknowledge  another  love  than  yours." 

With  like  protestations,  Eavenswood  placed  his  portion  of 
the  coin  opposite  to  his  heart.  And  now,  at  length,  it  struck 
them  that  time  had  hurried  fast  on  during  this  interview,  and 
their  absence  at  the  castle  would  be  subject  of  remark,  if  not 
of  alarm.  As  they  arose  to  leave  the  fountain  which  had  been 
witness  of  their  mutual  engagement,  an  arrow  whistled  through 
the  air,  and  struck  a  raven  perched  on  the  sere  branch  of  an 
old  oak,  near  to  where  they  had  been  seated.  The  bird  flut- 
tered a  few  yards  and  dropped  at  the  feet  of  Lucy,  whose 
dress  was  stained  with  some  spots  of  its  olood. 

Miss  Ashton  was  much  alarmed,  and  Eavenswood,  surprised 
and  angry,  looked  everywhere  for  the  marksman,  who  had 
given  them  a  proof  of  his  skill  as  little  expected  as  desired. 
He  was  not  long  of  discovering  himself,  being  no  other  than 
Henry  Ashton,  who  came  running  up  with  a  crossbow  in  his 
hand. 

"  I  knew  I  should  startle  you,"  he  said;  "  and  do  you  know, 
you  looked  so  busy  that  I  hoped  it  would  have  fallen  souse 
on  your  heads  before  you  were  aware  of  it.  What  was  the 
Master  saying  to  you,  Lucy?" 

"  I  was  telling  your  sister  what  an  idle  lad  you  were,  keep- 
ing us  waiting  here  for  you  so  long,"  said  Eavenswood,  to 
save  Lucy's  confusion. 

"  Waiting  for  me !  Why,  I  told  you  to  see  Lucy  home,  and 
that  I  was  to  go  to  make  the  ring-walk  with  old  Norman  in 
the  Hayberry  thicket,  and  you  may  be  sure  that  would  take 
a  good  hour,  and  we  have  all  the  deer's  marks  and  furnishes 
got,  while  you  were  sitting  here  with  Lucy,  like  a  lazy  loon." 

"Well,  well,  Mr.  Henry,"  said  Eavenswood;  "but  let  us 
see  how  you  will  answer  to  me  for  killing  the  raven.  Do  you 
know,  the  ravens  are  all  under  the  protection  of  the  Lords  of 
Eavenswood,  and  to  kill  one  in  their  presence  is  such  bad  luck 
that  it  deserves  the  stab?" 

"  And  that's  Avhat  Xorman  said, "  replied  the  boy ;  "  he  came 
as  far  with  me  as  within  a  flight-shot  of  you,  and  he  said  he 
never  saw  a  raven  sit  still  so  near  living  folk,  and  he  wished 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  219 

it  might  be  for  good  luck,  for  the  raven  is  one  of  the  wildest 
birds  that  Hies,  unless  it  be  a  tame  one ;  and  so  I  crept  on 
and  on,  till  I  was  within  threescore  yards  of  him,  and  then 
whiz  went  the  bolt,  and  there  he  lies,  faith !  Was  it  not  well 
shot?  and,  I  dare  say,  I  have  not  shot  in  a  crossbow !— not  ten 
times,  maybe." 

"Admirably  shot,  indeed,"  said  Ravenswood;  "and  you 
will  be  a  fine  marksman  if  you  practise  hard. " 

"And  that's  what  Norman  says,"  answered  the  boy;  "but 
I  am  sure  it  is  not  my  fault  if  I  do  not  practise  enough ;  for, 
of  free  will,  I  would  do  little  else,  only  my  father  and  tutor 
are  angry  sometimes,  and  only  Miss  Lucy  there  gives  herself 
airs  about  my  being  bus}^,  for  all  she  can  sit  idle  by  a  well- 
side  the  whole  day,  when  she  has  a  handsome  young  gentle- 
man to  prate  with.  I  have  known  her  do  so  twenty  times,  if 
you  will  believe  me." 

The  boy  looked  at  his  sister  as  he  spoke,  and,  in  the  midst 
of  his  mischievous  chatter,  had  the  sense  to  see  that  he  was 
really  inflicting  pain  upon  her,  though  without  being  able  to 
comprehend  the  cause  or  the  amount. 

"Come  now,  Lucy,"  he  said,  "don't  greet;  and  if  I  have 
said  anything  beside  the  mark,  I'll  deny  it  again ;  and  what 
does  the  Master  of  Ravenswood  care  if  you  had  a  hundred 
sweethearts?  so  ne'er  put  finger  in  your  eye  about  it." 

The  Master  of  Ravenswood  was,  for  the  moment,  scarce 
satisfied  with  what  he  heard;  yet  his  good  sense  naturally 
regarded  it  as  the  chatter  of  a  spoilt  boy,  who  strove  to  mor- 
tify his  sister  in  the  point  which  seemed  most  accessible  for 
the  time.  But,  although  of  a  temper  equally  slow  in  receiv- 
ing impressions  and  obstinate  in  retaining  them,  the  prattle 
of  Henry  served  to  nourish  in  his  mind  some  vague  suspicion 
that  his  present  engagement  might  only  end  in  his  being  ex- 
posed, like  a  conquered  enemy  in  a  Roman  triumph,  a  captive 
attendant  on  the  car  of  a  victor  who  meditated  only  the  sati- 
ating his  pride  at  the  expense  of  the  vanquished.  There  was, 
we  repeat  it,  no  real  ground  whatever  for  such  an  apprehen- 
sion, nor  could  he  be  said  seriously  to  entertain  such  for  a 
moment.     Indeed,  it  was  impossible  to  look  at  the  clear  blue 


220  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

e^^e  of  Lucy  Ashton,  and  entertain  the  slightest  permanent 
doubt  concerning  the  sincerity  of  her  disposition.  Still,  how- 
ever, conscious  pride  and  conscious  poverty  combined  to  ren- 
der a  mind  suspicious  which  in  more  fortunate  circumstances 
would  have  been  a  stranger  to  that  as  well  as  to  every  other 
meanness. 

They  reached  the  castle,  where  Sir  William  Ashton,  who 
had  been  alarmed  by  the  length  of  their  stay,  met  them  in 
the  hall. 

''Had  Lucy,"  he  said,  "been  in  any  other  company  than 
that  of  one  who  had  shown  he  had  so  complete  power  of  pro- 
tecting her,  he  confessed  he  should  have  been  very  uneasy, 
and  would  have  despatched  persons  in  quest  of  them.  But, 
in  the  company  of  the  Master  of  Eavenswood,  he  knew  his 
daughter  had  nothing  to  dread.'' 

Lucy  commenced  some  apology  for  their  long  delay,  but,  con- 
science-struck, became  confused  as  she  proceeded;  and  when 
Eavenswood,  coming  to  her  assistance,  endeavoured  to  render 
the  explanation  complete  and  satisfactory,  he  only  involved 
himself  in  the  same  disorder,  like  one  who,  endeavouring  to 
extricate  his  companion  from  a  slough,  entangles  himself  in 
the  same  tenacious  swamp.  It  cannot  be  supposed  that  the 
confusion  of  the  two  youthful  lovers  escaped  the  observation 
of  the  subtle  lawyer,  accustomed,  by  habit  and  profession,  to 
trace  human  nature  through  all  her  windings.  But  it  was  not 
his  present  policy  to  take  any  notice  of  what  he  observed. 
He  desired  to  hold  the  Master  of  Eavenswood  bomid,  but 
wished  that  he  himself  should  remain  free;  and  it  did  not 
occur  to  him  that  his  plan  might  be  defeated  by  Lucy's  re- 
turning the  passion  which  he  hoped  she  might  inspire.  If 
she  should  adopt  some  romantic  feelings  towards  Eavenswood, 
in  which  circumstances,  or  the  positive  and  absolute  opposi- 
tion of  Lady  Ashton,  might  render  it  unadvisable  to  indulge 
her,  the  Lord  Keeper  conceived  they  might  be  easily  super- 
seded and  annulled  by  a  journey  to  Edmburgh,  or  even  to 
London,  a  new  set  of  Brussels  lace,  and  the  soft  whispers  of 
half  a  dozen  lovers,  anxious  to  replace  him  whom  it  was  con- 
venient she  should  renounce.     This  was  his  provision  for  the 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  221 

worst  view  of  the  case.  But,  according  to  its  more  probable 
issue,  any  passing  favour  she  might  entertain  for  the  Master 
of  Ravenswood  might  require  encouragement  rather  than 
repression. 

This  seemed  the  more  likely,  as  he  had  that  very  morning, 
since  their  departure  from  the  castle,  received  a  letter,  the 
contents  of  which  he  hastened  to  communicate  to  Ravenswood. 
A  foot-post  had  arrived  with  a  packet  to  the  Lord  Keeper 
from  that  friend  whom  we  have  already  mentioned,  who  was 
labouring  hard  underhand  to  consolidate  a  band  of  patriots, 
at  the  head  of  whom  stood  Sir  William's  greatest  terror,  the 

active  and  ambitious  Marquis  of  A .     The  success  of  this 

convenient  friend  had  been  such,  that  he  had  obtained  from 
Sir  William,  not  indeed  a  directly  favourable  answer,  but  cer- 
tainly a  most  patient  hearing.  This  he  had  reported  to  his 
principal,  who  had  replied  by  the  ancient  French  adage, 
"  Chateau  qui  jjarle^  et  femme  qui  ecoute,  Vun  et  V autre  va 
se  rendre.''^  A  statesman  who  hears  you  propose  a  change  of 
measures  without  reply  was,  according  to  the  Marquis's  opin- 
ion, in  the  situation  of  the  fortress  which  parleys  and  the  lady 
who  listens,  and  he  resolved  to  press  the  siege  of  the  Lord 
Keeper. 

The  packet,  therefore,  contained  a  letter  from  his  friend 
and  ally,  and  another  from  himself,  to  the  Lord  Keeper, 
frankly  offering  an  unceremonious  visit.  They  were  crossing 
the  country  to  go  to  the  southward;  the  roads  were  indiffer- 
ent; the  accommodation  of  the  inns  as  execrable  as  possible; 
the  Lord  Keeper  had  been  long  acquainted  intimately  with 
one  of  his  correspondents,  and,  though  more  slightly  known 
to  the  Marquis,  had  yet  enough  of  his  lordship's  acquaintance 
to  render  the  visit  sufficiently  natural,  and  to  shut  the  mouths 
of  those  who  might  be  disposed  to  impute  it  to  a  political  in- 
trigue. He  instantly  accepted  the  offered  visit,  determined, 
however,  that  he  would  not  pledge  himself  an  inch  farther  for 
the  furtherance  of  their  views  than  reason  (by  which  he  meant 
his  own  self-interest)  should  plainly  point  out  to  him  as 
proper. 

Two  circumstances  particularly  delighted  him — the  pres- 


222  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

ence  of  Raveiiswood,  and  the  absence  of  his  own  lady.  By 
having  the  former  under  his  roof,  he  conceived  he  might  be 
able  to  quash  all  such  hazardous  and  hostile  proceedings  as 
he  might  otherwise  have  been  engaged  in,  under  the  patron- 
age of  the  Marquis ;  and  Lucy,  he  foresaw,  would  make,  for 
his  immediate  purpose  of  delay  and  procrastination,  a  much 
better  mistress  of  his  family  than  her  mother,  who  would,  he 
was  sure,  in  some  shape  or  other,  contrive  to  disconcert  his 
political  schemes  by  her  proud  and  implacable  temper. 

His  anxious  solicitations  that  the  Master  would  stay  to  re- 
ceive his  kinsman,  were,  of  course,  readily  complied  with, 
since  the  edaircissement  which  had  taken  place  at  the  Mer- 
maiden's  Fountain  had  removed  all  wish  for  sudden  depart- 
ure. Lucy  and  Lockhard,  had,  therefore,  orders  to  provide 
all  things  necessary  in  their  different  departments,  for  receiv- 
ing the  expected  guests  with  a  pomp  and  display  of  luxury 
very  uncommon  in  Scotland  at  that  remote  period. 


CHAPTER    XXI. 


Marall.  Sir,  the  man  of  honour's  come, 
Newly  alighted 

Overreach.  In  without  reply, 
And  do  as  I  command.  .  .  . 
Is  the  loud  music  I  gave  order  for 
Ready  to  receive  him  ? 

New  Way  to  pay  Old  Debts. 

Sir  William  Ashton,  although  a  man  of  sense,  legal  in- 
formation, and  great  practical  knowledge  of  the  world,  had 
yet  some  points  of  character  which  corresponded  better  with 
the  timidity  of  his  disposition  and  the  supple  arts  by  which 
he  had  risen  in  the  world,  than  to  the  degree  of  eminence 
which  he  had  attained;  as  they  tended  to  show  an  original 
mediocrity  of  understanding,  however  highly  it  had  been  cul- 
tivated, and  a  native  meanness  of  disposition,  however  care- 
fully veiled.  He  loved  the  ostentatious  display  of  his  wealth, 
less  as  a  man  to  whom  habit  has  made  it  necessary,  than  as 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  223 

one  to  whom  it  is  still  delightful  from  its  novelty.  The  most 
trivial  details  did  not  escape  him;  and  Lucy  soon  learned  to 
watch  the  flush  of  scorn  which  crossed  Ravenswood's  cheek, 
when  he  heard  her  father  gravely  arguing  with  Lockhard,  nay, 
even  with  the  old  housekeeper,  upon  circumstances  which,  in 
families  of  rank,  are  left  uncared  for,  because  it  is  supposed 
impossible  they  can  be  neglected. 

"I  could  pardon  Sir  William,"  said  Ravensvvood,  one  even- 
ing after  he  had  left  the  room,  "  some  general  anxiety  upon 
this  occasion,  for  the  Marquis's  visit  is  an  honour,  and  should 
be  received  as  such ;  but  I  am  worn  out  by  these  miserable 
minutise  of  the  buttery,  and  the  larder,  and  the  very  hen- 
coop— they  drive  me  beyond  my  patience;  I  would  rather  en- 
dure the  poverty  of  Wolf's  Crag  than  be  pestered  with  the 
wealth  of  Ravenswood  Castle." 

"  And  yet, "  said  Lucy,  "  it  was  by  attention  to  these  minu- 
tiae that  my  father  acquired  the  property " 

"  AVhich  my  ancestors  sold  for  lack  of  it, "  replied  Ravens- 
wood.  "  Be  it  so ;  a  porter  still  bears  but  a  burden,  though 
the  burden  be  of  gold." 

Lucy  sighed;  she  perceived  too  plainly  that  her  lover  held 
in  scorn  the  manners  and  habits  of  a  father  to  whom  she  had 
long  looked  up  as  her  best  and  most  partial  friend,  whose 
fondness  had  often  consoled  her  for  her  mother's  contemptu- 
ous harshness. 

The  lovers  soon  discovered  that  they  differed  upon  other 
and  no  less  important  topics.  Religion,  the  mother  of  peace, 
was,  in  those  days  of  discord,  so  much  misconstrued  and  mis- 
taken, that  her  rules  and  forms  were  the  subject  of  the  most 
opposite  opinions  and  the  most  hostile  animosities.  The  Lord 
Keeper,  being  a  Whig,  was,  of  course,  a  Presbyterian,  and  had 
found  it  convenient,  at  different  periods,  to  express  greater 
zeal  for  the  kirk  than  perhaps  he  really  felt.  His  family, 
equally  of  course,  were  trained  under  the  same  institution. 
Ravenswood,  as  we  know,  was  a  High  Churchman,  or  Episcopa- 
lian, and  frequently  objected  to  Lucy  the  fanaticism  of  some 
of  her  own  communion,  while  she  intimated,  rather  than  ex- 
pressed, horror  at  the  latitudinarian  principles  which  she  had 


224  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

been  taught  to  think  connected  with  the  prelatical  form  of 
church  government. 

Thus,  although  their  mutual  affection  seemed  to  increase 
rather  than  to  be  diminished  as  their  characters  opened  more 
fully  on  each  other,  the  feelings  of  each  were  mingled  with 
some  less  agreeable  ingredients.  Lucy  felt  a  secret  awe,  amid 
all  her  affection  for  Kavenswood.  His  soul  was  of  an  higher, 
prouder  character  than  those  with  whom  she  had  hitherto 
mixed  in  intercourse;  his  ideas  were  more  fierce  and  free; 
and  he  contemned  many  of  the  opinions  which  had  been  in- 
culcated upon  her  as  chiefly  demanding  her  veneration.  On 
the  other  hand,  Eavenswood  saw  in  Lucy  a  soft  and  flexible 
character,  which,  in  his  eyes  at  least,  seemed  too  susceptible 
of  being  moulded  to  any  form  by  those  with  whom  she  lived. 
He  felt  that  his  own  temper  required  a  partner  of  a  more  in- 
dependent spirit,  who  could  set  sail  with  him  on  his  course  of 
life,  resolved  as  himself  to  dare  indifferently  the  storm  and 
the  favouring  breeze.  But  Lucy  was  so  beautiful,  so  devoutly 
attached  to  him,  of  a  temper  so  exquisitely  soft  and  kind, 
that,  while  he  could  have  wished  it  were  possible  to  inspire 
her  with  a  greater  degree  of  firmness  and  resolution,  and 
while  he  sometimes  became  impatient  of  the  extreme  fear 
which  she  expressed  of  their  attachment  being  prematurely 
discovered,  he  felt  that  the  softness  of  a  mind,  amounting  al- 
most to  feebleness,  rendered  her  even  dearer  to  him,  as  a 
being  who  had  voluntarily  clung  to  him  for  protection,  and 
made  him  the  arbiter  of  her  fate  for  weal  or  woe.  His  feel- 
ings towards  her  at  such  moments  were  those  which  have  been 
since  so  beautifully  expressed  by  our  immortal  Joanna  Baillie : 

Thou  sweetest  thing, 
That  e'er  did  fix  its  lightly-fibred  sprays 
To  the  rude  rock,  ah  !  wovildst  thou  cling  to  me? 
Rough  and  storm-worn  I  am  ;  yet  love  me  as 
Thou  truly  dost,  I  will  love  thee  again 
With  true  and  honest  heart,  though  all  unmeet 
To  be  the  mate  of  such  sweet  gentleness. 

Thus  the  very  points  in  which  they  differed  seemed,  in 
some  measure,  to  ensure  the  continuance  of  their  mutual  af- 
fection.    H,  indeed,  they  had  so  fully  appreciated  each  other's 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  225 

character  before  the  burst  of  passion  in  which  they  hastily- 
pledged  their  faith  to  each  other,  Lucy  might  have  feared 
Raveuswood  too  much  ever  to  have  loved  him,  and  he  might 
have  construed  her  softness  and  docile  temper  as  imbecility, 
rendering  her  unworthy  of  his  regard.  But  they  stood  pledged 
to  each  other;  and  Lucy  only  feared  that  her  lover's  pride 
might  one  day  teach  him  to  regret  his  attachment ;  Ravens- 
wood,  that  a  mind  so  ductile  as  Lucy's  might,  in  absence  or 
difficulties,  be  induced,  by  the  entreaties  or  influence  of  those 
around  her,  to  renounce  the  engagement  she  had  formed. 

"  Do  not  fear  it, "  said  Lucy,  when  upon  one  occasion  a  hint 
of  such  suspicion  escaped  her  lover;  " the  mirrors  which  re- 
ceive the  reflection  of  all  successive  objects  are  framed  of  hard 
materials  like  glass  or  steel ;  the  softer  substances,  when  they 
receive  an  impression,  retain  it  undefaced." 

"  This  is  poetry,  Lucy, "  said  Ravenswood ;  "  and  in  poetry 
there  is  always  fallacy,  and  sometimes  fiction." 

"  Believe  me,  then,  once  more,  in  honest  prose, "  said  Lucy, 
"  that,  though  I  will  never  wed  man  without  the  consent  of 
my  parents,  yet  neither  force  nor  persuasion  shall  dispose  of 
my  hand  till  you  renounce  the  right  I  have  given  you  to  it." 

The  lovers  had  ample  time  for  such  explanations.  Henry 
was  now  more  seldom  their  companion,  being  either  a  most 
unwilling  attendant  upon  the  lessons  of  his  tutor,  or  a  forward 
volunteer  under  the  instructions  of  the  foresters  or  grooms. 
As  for  the  Keeper,  his  mornings  were  spent  in  his  study, 
maintaining  correspondences  of  all  kinds,  and  balancing  in 
his  anxious  mind  the  various  intelligence  which  he  collected 
from  every  quarter  concerning  the  expected  change  of  Scottish 
politics,  and  the  probable  strength  of  the  parties  who  were 
about  to  struggle  for  power.  At  other  times  he  busied  himself 
about  arranging,  and  countermanding,  and  then  again  arrang- 
ing, the  preparations  which  he  judged  necessary  for  the  recep- 
tion of  the  Marquis  of  A ,  whose  arrival  had  been  twice 

delayed  by  some  necessary  cause  of  detention. 

In  the  midst  of  all  these  various  avocations,  political  and 
domestic,  he  seemed  not  to  observe  how  much  his  daughter 
and  his  guest  were  thrown  into  each  other's  society,  and  was 
15 


226  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

censured  by  many  of  his  neighbourSj  according  to  the  fashion 
of  neighbours  in  all  countries,  for  suffering  such  an  intimate 
connexion  to  take  place  betwixt  two  young  persons.  The 
only  natural  explanation  was,  that  he  designed  them  for  each 
other ;  while,  in  truth,  his  only  motive  was  to  temporise  and 
procrastinate  until  he  should  discover  the  real  extent  of  the 
interest  which  the  Marquis  took  in  Eavenswood's  affairs,  and 
the  power  which  he  was  likely  to  possess  of  advancing  them. 
Until  these  points  should  be  made  both  clear  and  manifest, 
the  Lord  Keeper  resolved  that  he  would  do  nothing  to  commit 
himself,  either  in  one  shape  or  other ;  and,  like  many  cunning 
persons,  he  overreached  himself  deplorably. 

Amongst  those  who  had  been  disposed  to  censure,  with  the 
greatest  severity,  the  conduct  of  Sir  William  Ashton,  in  per- 
mitting the  prolonged  residence  of  Eavenswood  under  his 
roof,  and  his  constant  attendance  on  Miss  Ashton,  was  the 
new  Laird  of  GirniDgton,  and  his  faithful  squire  and  bottle- 
holder,  personages  formerly  well  known  to  us  by  the  names  of 
Hayston  and  Bucklaw,  and  his  companion  Captain  Craigen- 
gelt.  The  former  had  at  length  succeeded  to  the  extensive 
property  of  his  long-lived  grand-aunt,  and  to  considerable 
wealth  besides,  which  he  had  employed  in  redeeming  his  pa- 
ternal acres  (by  the  title  appertaining  to  which  he  still  chose 
to  be  designated),  notwithstanding  Captain  Craigengelt  had 
proposed  to  him  a  most  advantageous  mode  of  vesting  the 
money  in  Law's  scheme,  which  was  just  then  broached,  and 
offered  his  services  to  travel  express  to  Paris  for  the  purpose. 
But  Bucklaw  had  so  far  derived  wisdom  from  adversity,  that 
he  would  listen  to  no  proposal  which  Craigengelt  could  invent, 
which  had  the  slightest  tendency  to  risk  his  newly -acquired 
independence.  He  that  had  once  eat  pease-bamiocks,  drank 
sour  wine,  and  slept  in  the  secret  chamber  at  Wolf's  Crag, 
would,  he  said,  prize  good  cheer  and  a  soft  bed  as  long  as  he 
lived,  and  take  special  care  never  to  need  such  hospitality 
again. 

Craigengelt,  therefore,  found  himself  disappointed  in  the 
first  hopes  he  had  entertained  of  making  a  good  hand  of  the 
Laird  of  Bucklaw.     Still,  however,  he  reaped  many  advan- 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  227 

tages  from  his  friend's  good  fortune.  Bucklaw,  who  had 
never  been  at  all  scrupulous  in  choosing  his  companions,  was 
accustomed  to,  and  entertained  by,  a  fellow  whom  he  could 
either  laugh  with  or  laugh  at  as  he  had  a  mind,  who  would 
take,  according  to  Scottish  phrase,  "the  bit  and  the  buffet," 
understood  all  sports,  whether  within  or  without  doors,  and, 
when  the  laird  had  a  mind  for  a  bottle  of  wine  (no  infrequent 
circumstance),  was  always  ready  to  save  him  from  the  scandal 
of  getting  drunk  by  himself.  Upon  these  terms,  Craigengelt 
was  the  frequent,  almost  the  constant,  inmate  of  the  house  of 
Girnington. 

In  no  time,  and  under  no  possibility  of  circumstances,  could 
good  have  been  derived  from  such  an  intimacy,  however  its 
bad  consequences  might  be  qualified  by  the  thorough  knowl- 
edge which  Bucklaw  possessed  of  his  dependant's  character, 
and  the  high  contempt  in  which  he  held  it.  But,  as  circum- 
stances stood,  this  evil  communication  was  particularly  liable 
to  corrupt  what  good  principles  nature  had  implanted  in  the 
patron. 

Craigengelt  had  never  forgiven  the  scorn  with  which  Ra- 
venswood  had  torn  the  mask  of  courage  and  honesty  from  his 
countenance;  and  to  exasperate  Bucklaw's  resentment  against 
him  was  the  safest  mode  of  revenge  which  occurred  to  his 
cowardly,  yet  cunning  and  malignant,  disposition. 

He  brought  up  on  all  occasions  the  story  of  the  challenge 
which  Ravenswood  had  declined  to  accept,  and  endeavoured, 
by  every  possible  insinuation,  to  make  his  patron  believe  that 
his  honour  was  concerned  in  bringing  that  matter  to  an  issue 
by  a  present  discussion  with  Ravenswood.  But  respecting 
this  subject  Bucklaw  imposed  on  him,  at  length,  a  peremptory 
command  of  silence. 

"  I  think, "  he  said,  "  the  Master  has  treated  me  unlike  a 
gentleman,  and  I  see  no  right  he  had  to  send  me  back  a  cava- 
lier answer  when  I  demanded  the  satisfaction  of  one.  But  he 
gave  me  my  life  once ;  and,  in  looking  the  matter  over  at  pres- 
ent, I  put  myself  but  on  equal  terms  with  him.  Should  he 
cross  me  again,  I  shall  consider  the  old  accompt  as  balanced, 
and  his  Mastership  will  do  well  to  look  to  himself." 


228  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

"That  lie  should,"  re-echoed  Craigengelt;  "for  when  you 
are  in  practice,  Bucklaw,  I  would  bet  a  magnum  you  are 
through  him  before  the  third  pass." 

"Then  you  know  nothing  of  the  matter,"  said  Bucklaw, 
"  and  you  never  saw  him  fence." 

"And  I  know  nothing  of  the  matter?"  said  the  dependant — 
"a  good  jest,  I  promise  you!  And  though  I  never  saw  Ka- 
venswood  fence,  have  I  not  been  at  Monsieur  Sagoon's  school, 
who  was  the  first  maitre  cV amies  at  Paris;  and  have  I  not 
been  at  Signor  Poco's  at  Florence,  and  Meinheer  Durchstos- 
sen's  at  Vienna,  and  have  I  not  seen  all  their  play?" 

"I  don't  know  whether  you  have  or  not,"  said  Bucklaw; 
"  but  what  about  it,  though  you  had?" 

"  Only  that  I  will  be  d — d  if  ever  I  saw  French,  Italian,  or 
High-Dutchman  ever  make  foot,  hand,  and  eye  keep  time  half 
so  well  as  you,  Bucklaw." 

"I  believe  you  lie,  Craigie,"  said  Bucklaw;  "however,  I 
can  hold  my  own,  both  with  single  rapier,  backsword,  sword 
and  dagger,  broadsword,  or  case  of  falchions — and  that's  as 
much  as  any  gentleman  need  know  of  the  matter." 

"And  the  double  of  what  ninety -nine  out  of  a  hundred 
know,"  said  Craigengelt;  "  they  learn  to  change  a  few  thrusts 
with  the  small  sword,  and  then,  forsooth,  they  understand  the 
noble  art  of  defence !  Now,  when  I  was  at  Rouen  in  the  year 
1695,  there  was  a  Chevalier  de  Chapon  and  I  went  to  the 
opera,  where  we  found  three  bits  of  English  birkies " 

"Is  it  a  long  story  you  are  going  to  tell?"  said  Bucklaw, 
interrupting  him  without  ceremony. 

"  Just  as  you  like, "  answered  the  parasite,  "  for  we  made 
short  work  of  it." 

"  Then  I  like  it  short, "  said  Bucklaw.  "  Is  it  serious  or 
merry?" 

"  Devilish  serious,  I  assure  you,  and  so  they  found  it ;  for 
the  Chevalier  and  I " 

"  Then  I  don't  like  it  at  all,"  said  Bucklaw ;  "  so  fill  a  brim- 
mer of  my  auld  auntie's  claret,  rest  her  heart!  And,  as  the 
Hielandman  says,  Sl'iocli  doch  no  skiaill.'^ 

"  That  was  what  tough  old  Sir  Evan  Dhu  used  to  say  to  me 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  229 

when  I  was  out  with  the  metall'd  lads  in  1689.  ^Craigengelt, ' 
he  used  to  say,  'you  are  as  pretty  a  fellow  as  ever  held  steel  in 
his  grip,  but  you  have  one  fault. '  " 

"  If  he  had  known  you  as  long  as  I  have  done, "  said  Buck- 
law,  "  he  would  have  found  out  some  twenty  more ;  but  hang 
long  stories,  give  us  your  toast,  man." 

Craigengelt  rose,  went  a-tiptoe  to  the  door,  peeped  out,  shut 
it  carefully,  came  back  again,  clapped  his  tarnished  gold-laced 
hat  on  one  side  of  his  head,  took  his  glass  in  one  hand,  and 
touching  the  hilt  of  his  hanger  with  the  other,  named,  "  The 
King  over  the  water." 

"  I  tell  you  what  it  is.  Captain  Craigengelt, "  said  Bucklaw ; 
"I  shall  keep  my  mind  to  myself  on  these  subjects,  having 
too  much  respect  for  the  memory  of  my  venerable  Aunt  Girn- 
ington  to  put  her  lands  and  tenements  in  the  way  of  commit- 
ting treason  against  established  authority.  Bring  me  King 
James  to  Edinburgh,  Captain,  with  thirty  thousand  men  at 
his  back,  and  I'll  tell  you  what  I  think:  about  his  title;  but 
as  for  running  my  neck  into  a  noose,  and  my  good  broad  lands 
into  the  statutory  penalties,  'in  that  case  made  and  provided,' 
rely  upon  it,  you  will  find  me  no  such  fool.  So,  when  you 
mean  to  vapour  with  your  hanger  and  your  dram-cup  in  sup- 
port of  treasonable  toasts,  you  must  find  your  liquor  and  com- 
pany elsewhere." 

"  Well,  then, "  said  Craigengelt,  "  name  the  toast  yourself, 
and  be  it  what  it  like,  I'll  pledge  you,  were  it  a  mile  to  the 
bottom. " 

"And  I'll  give  you  a  toast  that  deserves  it,  my  boy,"  said 
Bucklaw;  "what  say  you  to  Miss  Lucy  Ashton?" 

"Up  with  it,"  said  the  Captain,  as  he  tossed  off  his  brim- 
mer, "the  bonniest  lass  in  Lothian!  What  a  pity  the  old 
sneckdrawing  Whigamore,  her  father,  is  about  to  throw  her 
away  upon  that  rag  of  pride  and  beggary,  the  Master  of  Ra- 
vens wood!" 

"  That's  not  quite  so  clear,"  said  Bucklaw,  in  a  tone  Avhich, 
though  it  seemed  indifferent,  excited  his  companion's  eager 
curiosity;  and  not  that  only,  but  also  his  hope  of  working 
himself  into  some  sort  of  confidenpe^  which  might  make  hin> 


230  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

necessary  to  his  patron,  being  by  no  means  satisfied  to  rest 
on  mere  sufferance,  if  lie  could  form  by  art  or  industry  a  more 
permanent  title  to  his  favour. 

"I  thought,"  said  he,  after  a  moment's  pause,  '"that  was  a 
settled  matter ;  they  are  continually  together,  and  nothing  else 
is  spoken  of  betwixt  Lammer  Law  and  Traprain." 

"  They  may  say  what  they  please, "  replied  his  patron,  ''  but 
I  know  better;  and  I'll  give  you  Miss  Lucy  Ashton's  health 
again,  my  boy." 

"And  I  would  drink  it  on  my  knee,"  said  Craigengelt,  "  if 
I  thought  the  girl  had  the  spirit  to  jilt  that  d — d  son  of  a 
Spaniard. " 

"  I  am  to  request  you  will  not  use  the  word  'jilt'  and  Miss 
Ashton's  name  together,"  said  Bucklaw,  gravely. 

"Jilt,  did  I  say?  Discard,  my  lad  of  acres — by  Jove,  I 
meant  to  say  discard,"  replied  Craigengelt;  "  and  I  hope  she'll 
discard  him  like  a  small  card  at  piquet,  and  take  in  the  king 
of  hearts,  my  boy!     But  yet " 

"But  what?"  said  his  patron. 

"  But  yet  I  know  for  certain  they  are  hours  together  alone, 
and  in  the  woods  and  the  fields." 

"That's  her  foolish  father's  dotage;  that  will  be  soon  put 
out  of  the  lass's  head,  if  it  ever  gets  into  it,"  answered  Buck- 
law.  "  And  now  fill  your  glass  again,  Captain ;  I  am  gomg 
to  make  you  happy;  I  am  going  to  let  you  into  a  secret — a 
plot — a  noosing  plot — only  the  noose  is  but  typical. " 

"A  marrying  matter?"  said  Craigengelt,  and  his  jaw  fell 
as  he  asked  the  question,  for  he  suspected  that  matrimony 
would  render  his  situation  at  Girnington  much  more  preca- 
rious than  during  the  jolly  days  of  his  patron's  bachelorhood. 

"Ay,  a  marriage,  man,"  said  Bucklaw;  "but  wherefore 
droops  thy  mighty  spirit,  and  why  grow  the  rubies  on  thy 
cheek  so  pale?  The  board  will  have  a  corner,  and  the  corner 
will  have  a  trencher,  and  the  trencher  will  have  a  glass  beside 
it ;  and  the  board-end  shall  be  filled,  and  the  trencher  and  the 
glass  shall  be  replenished  for  thee,  if  all  the  petticoats  in  Lo- 
thian had  sworn  the  contrary.  What,  man!  I  am  not  the  boy 
to  put  myself  into  leading-strings." 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  231 

"  So  says  many  an  honest  fellow, "  said  Craigengelt,  "  and 
some  of  my  special  friends ;  but,  curse  me  if  I  know  the  rea- 
son, the  women  could  never  bear  me,  and  always  contrived  to 
trundle  me  out  of  favour  before  the  honeymoon  was  over." 

"  If  you  could  have  kept  your  ground  till  that  was  over,  you 
might  have  made  a  good  year's  pension,"  said  Bucklaw. 

"But  I  never  could,"  answered  the  dejected  parasite. 
"  There  was  my  Lord  Castle-Cuddy — we  were  hand  and  glove : 
I  rode  his  horses,  borrowed  money  both  for  him  and  from  him, 
trained  his  hawks,  and  taught  him  how  to  lay  his  bets;  and 
when  he  took  a  fancy  of  marrying,  I  married  him  to  Katie 
Glegg,  whom  I  thought  myself  as  sure  of  as  man  could  be  of 
woman.  Egad,  she  had  me  out  of  the  house,  as  if  I  had  run 
on  wheels,  within  the  first  fortnight!" 

"Well!"  replied  Bucklaw,  "I  think  I  have  nothing  of  Cas- 
tle-Cuddy about  me,  or  Lucy  of  Katie  Glegg.  But  you  see 
the  thing  will  go  on  whether  you  like  it  or  no ;  the  only  ques- 
tion is,  will  you  be  useful?" 

"Useful!"  exclaimed  the  Captain,  "and  to  thee,  my  lad  of 
lands,  my  darling  boy,  whom  I  would  tramp  barefooted  through 
the  world  for !  Name  time,  place,  mode,  and  circumstances, 
and  see  if  I  will  not  be  useful  in  all  uses  that  can  be  devised. " 

"Why,  then,  you  must  ride  two  hundred  miles  for  me," 
said  the  patron. 

"A  thousand,  and  call  them  a  flea's  leap,"  answered  the 
dependant;  "I'll  cause  saddle  my  horse  directly." 

"  Better  stay  till  you  know  where  you  are  to  go,  and  what 
you  are  to  do,"  quoth  Bucklaw.  "You  know  I  have  a  kins- 
woman in  Northumberland,  Lady  Blenkensop  by  name,  whose 
old  acquaintance  I  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  in  the  period  of 
my  poverty,  but  the  light  of  whose  countenance  shone  forth 
upon  me  when  the  sun  of  my  prosperity  began  to  arise." 

"D — n  all  such  double-faced  jades!"  exclaimed  Craigen- 
gelt,  heroically;  "this  I  will  say  for  John  Craigengelt,  that 
he  is  his  friend's  friend  through  good  report  and  bad  report, 
poverty  and  riches ;  and  you  know  something  of  that  yourself, 
Bucklaw." 

"  I  have  not  forgot  your  merits, "  said  his  patron ;  "  I  do 


232  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

remember  that,  in  my  extremities,  you  had  a  mind  to  C7nmp 
me  for  the  service  of  the  French  king,  or  of  the  Pretender ; 
and,  moreover,  that  you  afterwards  lent  me  a  score  of  pieces, 
when,  as  I  firmly  believe,  you  had  heard  the  news  that  old 
Lady  Girnington  had  a  touch  of  the  dead  palsy.  But  don't 
be  downcast,  John ;  I  believe,  after  all,  you  like  me  very  well 
in  your  way,  and  it  is  my  misfortune  to  have  no  better  coun- 
sellor at  present.  To  return  to  this  Lady  Blenkensop,  you 
must  know,  she  is  a  close  confederate  of  Duchess  Sarah." 

"What!  of  Sail  Jennings?"  exclaimed  Craigengelt;  "then 
she  must  be  a  good  one." 

"  Hold  your  tongue,  and  keep  your  Tory  rants  to  j^ourself, 
if  it  be  possible,"  said  Bucklaw.  "I  tell  you,  that  through 
the  Duchess  of  Marlborough  has  this  Northumbrian  cousin  of 
mine  become  a  crony  of  Lady  Ashton,  the  Keeper's  wife,  or, 
I  may  say,  the  Lord  Keeper's  Lady  Keeper,  and  she  has  fa- 
voured Lady  Blenkensop  with  a  visit  on  her  return  from  Lon- 
don, and  is  just  now  at  her  old  mansion-house  on  the  banks 
of  the  AVansbeck.  Now,  sir,  as  it  has  been  the  use  and  wont 
of  these  ladies  to  consider  their  husbands  as  of  no  importance 
in  the  management  of  their  own  families,  it  has  been  their 
present  pleasure,  without  consulting  Sir  William  Ashton,  to 
put  on  the  tapis  a  matrimonial  alliance,  to  be  concluded  be- 
tween Lucy  Ashton  and  my  own  right  honourable  self,  Lady 
Ashton  acting  as  self -constituted  plenipotentiary  on  the  part 
of  her  daughter  and  husband,  and  Mother  Blenkensop,  equally 
unaccredited,  doing  me  the  honour  to  be  my  representative. 
You  may  suppose  I  was  a  little  astonished  when  I  found  that 
a  treaty,  in  which  I  was  so  considerably  interested,  had  ad- 
vanced a  good  way  before  I  was  even  consulted." 

"  Capot  me !  if  I  think  that  was  according  to  the  rules  of 
the  game, "  said  his  confidant ;  "  and  pray,  what  answer  did 
you  return?" 

"  Why,  my  first  thought  was  to  send  the  treaty  to  the  devil, 
and  the  negotiators  along  with  it,  for  a  couple  of  meddling  old 
women ;  my  next  was  to  laugh  very  heartily ;  and  my  third 
and  last  was  a  settled  opinion  that  the  thing  was  reasonable, 
and  would  suit  me  well  enough." 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  233 

"  Why,  I  thought  you  had  never  seen  the  wench  but  once, 
and  then  she  had  her  riding-mask  on;  I  am  sure  you  told 
me  so." 

"  Ay,  but  I  liked  her  very  well  then.  And  Ravens  wood's 
dirty  usage  of  me — shutting  me  out  of  doors  to  dine  with  the 
lackeys,  because  he  had  the  Lord  Keeper,  forsooth,  and  his 
daughter,  to  be  guests  in  his  beggarly  castle  of  starvation, — • 
d — n  me,  Craigengelt,  if  I  ever  forgive  him  till  I  play  him  as 
good  a  trick!" 

"No  more  you  should,  if  you  are  a  lad  of  mettle,"  said 
Craigengelt,  the  matter  now  taking  a  turn  in  which  he  could 
sympathise ;  "  and  if  you  carry  this  wench  from  him,  it  will 
break  his  heart. " 

"That  it  will  not,"  said  Bucklaw;  "his  heart  is  all  steeled 
over  with  reason  and  philosophy,  things  that  you,  Craigie, 
know  nothing  about  more  than  myself,  God  help  me.  But  il 
will  break  his  pride,  though,  and  that's  what  I'm  driving  at." 

"Distance  me!"  said  Craigengelt,  "but  I  know  the  reason 
now  of  his  unmannerly  behaviour  at  his  old  tumble-down 
tower  yonder.  Ashamed  of  your  company? — no,  no!  Gad, 
he  was  afraid  you  would  cut  in  and  carry  off  the  girl." 

"Eh!  Craigengelt?"  said  Bucklaw,  "do  you  really  think 
so?  but  no,  no!  he  is  a  devilish  deal  prettier  man  than  I  am." 

"Who — he?"  exclaimed  the  parasite.  "He's  as  black  as 
the  crook;  and  for  his  size — he's  a  tall  fellow,  to  be  sure,  but 
give  me  a  light,  stout,  middle-sized " 

"Plague  on  thee!"  said  Bucklaw,  interrupting  him,  "and 
on  me  for  listening  to  you !  You  would  say  as  much  if  I  were 
hunch-backed.  But  as  to  Ravenswood — he  has  kept  no  terms 
with  me,  I'll  keep  none  with  him;  if  I  can  win  this  girl  from 
him,  I  will  win  her." 

"Win  her!  'sblood,  you  shall  win  her,  point,  quint,  and 
quatorze,  my  king  of  trumps ;  you  shall  pique,  repique,  and 
capot  him." 

"Prithee,  stop  thy  gambling  cant  for  one  instant,"  said 
Bucklaw.  "  Things  have  come  thus  far,  that  I  have  enter- 
tained the  proposal  of  my  kinswoman,  agreed  to  the  terms  of 
jointure,  amount  of  fortune,  and  so  forth,  and  that  the  affair 


234  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

is  to  go  forward  when  Lady  Ashton  comes  down,  for  she  takes 
her  daughter  and  her  son  in  her  own  hand.  Now  they  want 
me  to  send  up  a  confidential  person  with  some  writings." 

"  By  this  good  wine,  I'll  ride  to  the  end  of  the  world — the 
very  gates  of  Jericho,  and  the  judgment- seat  of  Prester  John, 
for  thee!"  ejaculated  the  Captain. 

"  Why,  I  believe  you  would  do  something  for  me,  and  a 
great  deal  for  yourself.  Now,  any  one  could  carry  the  writ- 
ings ;  but  you  will  have  a  little  more  to  do.  You  must  con- 
trive to  drop  out  before  my  Lady  Ashton,  just  as  if  it  were  a 
matter  of  little  consequence,  the  residence  of  Kavenswood  at 
her  husband's  house,  and  his  close  intercourse  with  Miss  Ash- 
ton ;  and  you  may  tell  her  that  all  the  country  talks  of  a  visit 

from  the  Marquis  of  A ,  as  it  is  supposed,  to  make  up  the 

match  betwixt  Eavenswood  and  her  daughter.  I  should  like 
to  hear  what  she  says  to  all  this ;  for,  rat  me !  if  I  have  any 
idea  of  starting  for  the  plate  at  all  if  Ravenswood  is  to  win 
the  race,  and  he  has  odds  against  me  already." 

"  Never  a  bit ;  the  wench  has  too  much  sense,  and  in  that 
belief  I  drink  her  health  a  third  time;  and,  were  time 
and  place  fitting,  I  would  drink  it  on  bended  knees,  and  he 
that  would  not  pledge  me,  I  would  make  his  guts  garter  his 
stockings." 

"  Hark  ye,  Craigengelt ;  as  you  are  going  into  the  society 
of  women  of  rank,"  said  Bucklaw,  "I'll  thank  you  to  forget 
your  strange  blackguard  oaths  and 'damme's.'  I'll  write  to 
them,  though,  that  you  are  a  blunt,  untaught  fellow." 

"  Ay,  ay, "  replied  Craigengelt — "  a  plain,  blunt,  honest, 
downright  soldier." 

"  Not  too  honest,  nor  too  much  of  the  soldier  neither ;  but 
such  as  thou  art,  it  is  my  luck  to  need  thee,  for  I  must  have 
spurs  put  to  Lady  Ashton's  motions." 

"I'll  dash  them  up  to  the  rowel-heads,"  said  Craigengelt; 
"  she  shall  come  here  at  the  gallop,  like  a  cow  chased  by  a 
whole  nest  of  hornets,  and  her  tail  twisted  over  her  rump  like 
a  corkscrew." 

"And  hear  ye,  Craigie,"  said  Bucklaw;  "your  boots  and 
doublet  are  good  enough  to  drink  in,  as  the  man  says  in  the 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  235 

play,  but  they  are  somewhat  too  greasy  for  tea-table  service ; 
prithee,  get  thyself  a  little  better  rigged  out,  and  here  is  to 
pay  all  charges." 

"  Nay,  Bucklaw ;  on  my  soul,  man,  you  use  me  ill.  How- 
ever, "  added  Craigengelt,  pocketing  the  money,  "  if  you  will 
have  me  so  far  indebted  to  you,  I  must  be  conforming." 

"Well,  horse  and  away!"  said  the  patron,  "so  soon  as  you 
have  got  your  riding  livery  in  trim.  You  may  ride  the  black 
crop-ear;  and,  hark  ye,  I'll  make  you  a  present  of  him  to 
boot." 

"  I  drink  to  the  good  luck  of  my  mission, "  answered  the 
ambassador,  "in  a  half -pint  bumper." 

"  I  thank  ye,  Craigie,  and  pledge  you ;  I  see  nothing  against 
it  but  the  father  or  the  girl  taking  a  tantrum,  and  I  am  told 
the  mother  can  wind  them  both  round  her  little  linger.  Take 
care  not  to  affront  her  with  any  of  your  Jacobite  jargon." 

"  Oh  ay,  true — she  is  a  Whig,  and  a  friend  of  old  Sail  of 
Marlborough;  thank  my  stars,  I  can  hoist  any  colours  at  a 
pinch !  I  have  fought  as  hard  under  John  Churchill  as  ever 
I  did  under  Dundee  or  the  Duke  of  Berwick." 

"  I  verily  believe  you,  Craigie, "  said  the  lord  of  the  man- 
sion; "but,  Craigie,  do  you,  pray,  step  down  to  the  cellar, 
and  fetch  us  up  a  bottle  of  the  Burgundy,  1678 ;  it  is  in  the 
fourth  bin  from  the  right-hand  turn.  And  I  say,  Craigie,  you 
may  fetch  up  half  a  dozen  whilst  you  are  about  it.  Egad, 
we'll  make  a  night  on't!" 


CHAPTER   XXII. 


And  soon  they  spied  the  merry-men  green, 
And  eke  the  coach  and  four. 

Duke  upon  Duke. 

Craige^tgelt  set  forth  on  his  mission  so  soon  as  his  equi- 
page was  complete,  prosecuted  his  journey  with  all  diligence, 
and  accomplished  his  commission  with  all  the  dexterity  for 
which  Bucklaw  had  given  him  credit.  As  he  arrived  with 
credentials  from  Mr.  Hayston  of  Bucklaw,  he  was  extremely 


236  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

welcome  to  both  ladies ;  and  those  who  are  prejudiced  in  fa- 
vour of  a  new  acquaintance  can,  for  a  time  at  least,  discover 
excellencies  in  his  very  faults  and  perfections  in  his  deficien- 
cies. Although  both  ladies  were  accustomed  to  good  society, 
yet,  being  pre-determined  to  find  out  an  agreeable  and  well- 
behaved  gentleman  in  Mr.  Hayston's  friend,  they  succeeded 
wonderfully  in  imposing  on  themselves.  It  is  true  that  Craig- 
engelt  was  now  handsomely  dressed,  and  that  was  a  point  of 
no  small  consequence.  But,  independent  of  outward  show,  his 
blackguard  impudence  of  address  was  construed  into  honour- 
able bluntness,  becoming  his  supposed  military  profession ;  his 
hectoring  passed  for  courage,  and  his  sauciness  for  wit.  Lest, 
however,  any  one  should  think  this  a  violation  of  probability, 
we  must  add,  in  fairness  to  the  two  ladies,  that  their  discern- 
ment was  greatly  blinded,  and  their  favour  propitiated,  by  the 
opportune  arrival  of  Captain  Craigengelt  in  the  moment  when 
they  were  longing  for  a  third  hand  to  make  a  party  at  tre- 
drille,  in  which,  as  in  all  games,  whether  of  chance  or  skill, 
that  worthy  person  was  a  great  proficient. 

When  he  found  himself  established  in  favour,  his  next  point 
was  how  best  to  use  it  for  the  furtherance  of  his  patron's  views. 
He  found  Lady  Ashton  prepossessed  strongly  in  favour  of  the 
motion  which  Lady  Blenkensop,  partly  from  regard  to  her 
kinswoman,  partly  from  the  spirit  of  match-making,  had  not 
hesitated  to  propose  to  her ;  so  that  his  task  was  an  easy  one. 
Bucklaw,  reformed  from  his  prodigality,  was  just  the  sort  of 
husband  which  she  desired  to  have  for  her  Shepherdess  of  Lam- 
mermoor ;  and  Avhile  the  marriage  gave  her  an  easy  fortune, 
and  a  respectable  country  gentleman  for  her  husband.  Lady 
Ashton  was  of  opinion  that  her  destinies  would  be  fully  and 
most  favourably  accomplished.  It  so  chanced,  also,  that 
Bucklaw,  among  his  new  acquisitions,  had  gained  the  man- 
agement of  a  little  political  interest  in  a  neighbouring  county 
where  the  Douglas  family  originally  held  large  possessions. 
It  was  one  of  the  bosom-hopes  of  Lady  Ashton  that  her  eldest 
son,  Sholto,  should  represent  this  county  in  the  British  Par- 
liament, and  she  saw  this  alliance  with  Bucklaw  as  a  circum- 
stance which  might  be  highly  favourable  to  her  wishes. 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  237 

Craigeugelt,  who,  in  his  way,  by  no  means  wanted  sagacity, 
no  sooner  discovered  in  what  quarter  the  wind  of  Lady  Ash- 
ton's  wishes  sate,  than  he  trimmed  his  course  accordingly. 
"  There  was  little  to  prevent  Bucklaw  himself  from  sitting  for 
the  county ;  he  must  carry  the  heat — must  walk  the  course. 
Two  cousins-german,  six  more  distant  kinsmen,  his  factor  and 
his  chamberlain,  were  all  hollow  votes;  and  the  Girnington 
interest  had  always  carried,  betwixt  love  and  fear,  about  as 
many  more.  But  Bucklaw  cared  no  more  about  riding  the 
first  horse,  and  that  sort  of  thing,  than  he,  Craigengelt,  did 
about  a  game  at  birkie :  it  was  a  pity  his  interest  was  not  in 
good  guidance." 

All  this  Lady  Ashton  drank  in  with  willing  and  attentive 
ears,  resolving  internally  to  be  herseK  the  person  who  should 
take  the  management  of  the  political  influence  of  her  destined 
son-in-law,  for  the  benefit  of  her  eldest-born,  Sholto,  and  all 
other  parties  concerned. 

When  he  found  her  ladyship  thus  favourably  disposed,  the 
Captain  proceeded,  to  use  his  employer's  phrase,  to  set  spurs 
to  her  resolution,  by  hinting  at  the  situation  of  matters  at 
Eavenswood  Castle,  the  long  residence  which  the  heir  of  that 
family  had  made  with  the  Lord  Keeper,  and  the  reports  which 
— though  he  would  be  d — d  ere  he  gave  credit  to  any  of  them — 
had  been  idly  circulated  in  the  neighbourhood.  It  was  not 
the  Captain's  cue  to  appear  himself  to  be  uneasy  on  the  sub- 
ject of  these  rumours;  but  he  easily  saw  from  Lady  Ashton' s 
flushed  cheek,  hesitating  voice,  and  flashing  eye,  that  she  had 
caught  the  alarm  which  he  intended  to  communicate.  She 
had  not  heard  from  her  husband  so  often  or  so  regularly  as 
she  thought  him  bound  in  duty  to  have  written,  and  of  this 
very  interesting  intelligence  concerning  his  visit  to  the  Tower 
of  Wolf's  Crag,  and  the  guest  whom,  with  such  cordiality,  he 
had  received  at  Ravenswood  Castle,  he  had  suffered  his  lady 
to  remain  altogether  ignorant,  until  she  now  learned  it  by 
the  chance  information  of  a  stranger.  Such  concealment  ap- 
proached, in  her  apprehension,  to  a  misprision,  at  least,  of 
treason,  if  not  to  actual  rebellion  against  her  matrimonial  au- 
thority ;  and  in  her  inward  soul  did  she  vow  to  take  vengeance 


238  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

on  the  Lord  Keeper,  as  on  a  subject  detected  in  meditating 
revolt.  Her  indignation  burned  tlie  more  fiercely  as  she  found 
herself  obliged  to  suppress  it  in  presence  of  Lady  Blenkensop, 
the  kinswoman,  and  of  Craigengelt,  the  confidential  friend,  of 
Bucklaw,  of  whose  alliance  she  now  became  trebly  desirous, 
since  it  occurred  to  her  alarmed  imagination  that  her  husband 
might,  in  his  policy  or  timidity,  prefer  that  of  Kavenswood. 

The  Captain  was  engineer  enough  to  discover  that  the  train 
was  fired;  and  therefore  heard,  in  the  course  of  the  same  day, 
without  the  least  surprise,  that  Lad}^  Ashton  had  resolved  to 
abridge  her  visit  to  Lady  Blenkensop,  and  set  forth  with  the 
peep  of  morning  on  her  return  to  Scotland,  using  all  the  des- 
patch which  the  state  of  the  roads  and  the  mode  of  travelling 
would  possibly  permit. 

Unhappy  Lord  Keeper!  little  was  he  aware  what  a  storm 
was  travelling  towards  him  in  all  the  speed  with  which  an 
old-fashioned  coach  and  six  could  possibly  achieve  its  jour- 
ney. He,  like  Don  Gayferos,  "forgot  his  lady  fair  and  true," 
and  was  only  anxious  about  the  expected  visit  of  the  Marquis 
of  A .  Soothfast  tidings  had  assured  him  that  this  noble- 
man was  at  length,  and  without  fail,  to  honour  his  castle  at 
one  in  the  afternoon,  being  a  late  dinner-hour ;  and  much  was 
the  bustle  in  consequence  of  the  annunciation.  The  Lord 
Keeper  traversed  the  chambers,  held  consultation  with  the 
butler  in  the  cellars,  and  even  ventured,  at  the  risk  of  a  demeU 
with  a  cook  of  a  spirit  lofty  enough  to  scorn  the  admonitions 
of  Lady  Ashton  herself,  to  peep  into  the  kitchen.  Satisfied, 
at  length,  that  everything  was  in  as  active  a  train  of  prepara- 
tion as  was  possible,  he  summoned  Ravenswood  and  his  daugh- 
ter to  walk  upon  the  terrace,  for  the  purpose  of  watching,  from 
that  commanding  position,  the  earliest  symptoms  of  his  lord- 
ship's approach.  For  this  purpose,  with  slow  and  idle  step, 
he  paraded  the  terrace,  which,  flanked  with  a  heavy  stone 
battlement,  stretched  in  front  of  the  castle  upon  a  level  with 
the  first  story ;  while  visitors  found  access  to  the  court  by  a 
projecting  gateway,  the  bartizan  or  flat-leaded  roof  of  which 
was  accessible  from  the  terrace  by  an  easy  flight  of  low  and 
broad  steps.     The  whole  bore  a  resemblance  p>artly  to  a  castle, 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  239 

partly  to  a  nobleman's  seatj  and  though  calculated,  in  some 
respects,  for  defence,  evinced  that  it  had  been  constructed 
under  a  sense  of  the  power  and  security  of  the  ancient  Lords 
of  Eavenswood. 

This  pleasant  walk  commanded  a  beautiful  and  extensive 
view.  But  what  was  most  to  our  present  purpose,  there  were 
seen  from  the  terrace  two  roads,  one  leading  from  the  east, 
and  one  from  the  westward,  which,  crossing  a  ridge  opposed 
to  the  eminence  on  which  the  castle  stood,  at  different  angles, 
gradually  approached  each  other,  until  they  joined  not  far 
from  the  gate  of  the  avenue.  It  was  to  the  westward  ap- 
proach that  the  Lord  Keeper,  from  a  sort  of  fidgeting  anx- 
iety, his  daughter,  from  complaisance  to  him,  and  Ravens- 
wood,  though  feeling  some  symptoms  of  internal  impatience, 
out  of  complaisance  to  his  daughter,  directed  their  eyes  to 
see  the  precursors  of  the  Marquis's  approach. 

These  were  not  long  of  presenting  themselves.  Two  run- 
ning footmen,  dressed  in  white,  with  black  jockey-caps,  and 
long  staffs  in  their  hands,  headed  the  train;  and  such  was 
their  agility,  that  they  found  no  difficulty  in  keeping  the  nec- 
essary advance,  which  the  etiquette  of  their  station  required, 
before  the  carriage  and  horsemen.  Onward  they  came  at  a 
long  swinging  trot,  arguing  unwearied  speed  in  their  long- 
breathed  calling.  Such  running  footmen  are  often  alluded  to 
in  old  plays  (I  would  particularly  instance  Middleton's  Mad 
Worlds  my  Masters), '  and  perhaps  may  be  still  remembered 
by  some  old  persons  in  Scotland,  as  part  of  the  retinue  of  the 
ancient  nobility  when  travelling  in  full  ceremony.  Behind 
these  glancing  meteors,  who  footed  it  as  if  the  Avenger  of 
Blood  had  been  behind  them,  came  a  cloud  of  dust,  raised  by 
riders  who  preceded,  attended,  or  followed  the  state-carriage 
of  the  Marquis. 

The  privilege  of  nobility,  in  those  days,  had  something  in 
it  impressive  on  the  imagination.  The  dreSses  and  liveries 
and  number  of  their  attendants,  their  style  of  travelling,  the 
imposing,  and  almost  warlike,  air  of  the  armed  men  who  sur- 
rounded them,  placed  them  far  above  the  laird,  who  travelled 

1  See  Note  9. 


240  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

with  his  brace  of  footmen ;  and  as  to  rivalry  from  the  mercan- 
tile ^art  of  the  communit}',  these  would  as  soon  have  thought 
of  imitating  the  state  equipage  of  the  Sovereign.  At  present 
it  is  different;  and  I  myself,  Peter  Pattieson,  in  a  late  jour- 
ney to  Edinburgh,  had  the  honour,  in  the  mail-coach  phrase, 
to  "  change  a  leg"  with  a  peer  of  the  realm.  It  was  not  so  in 
the  days  of  which  I  write;  and  the  Marquis's  approach,  so 
long  expected  in  vain,  now  took  place  in  the  full  pomp  of  an- 
cient aristocracy.  Sir  William  Ashton  was  so  much  interested 
in  what  he  beheld,  and  in  considering  the  ceremonial  of  recep- 
tion, in  case  any  circumstance  had  been  omitted,  that  he  scarce 
heard  his  son  Henry  exclaim :  "  There  is  another  coach  and  six 
coming  down  the  east  road,  papa ;  can  they  both  belong  to  the 

Marquis  of  A ?" 

At  length,  when  the  youngster  had  fairly  compelled  his  at- 
tention by  pulling  his  sleeve, 

He  turned  his  eyes,  and,  as  he  turned,  survey' d 
An  awful  vision. 

Sure  enough,  another  coach  and  six,  with  four  servants  or 
outriders  in  attendance,  was  descending  the  hill  fi-om  the  east- 
ward, at  such  a  pace  as  made  it  doubtful  which  of  the  carriages 
thus  approaching  from  different  quarters  would  first  reach  the 
gate  at  the  extremity  of  the  avenue.  The  one  coach  was  green, 
the  other  blue ;  and  not  the  green  and  blue  chariots  in  the  cir- 
cus of  E-ome  or  Constantinople  excited  more  turmoil  among  the 
citizens  than  the  double  apparition  occasioned  in  the  mind  of 
the  Lord  Keeper. 

We  all  remember  the  terrible  exclamation  of  the  dying 
profligate,  when  a  friend,  to  destroy  what  he  supposed  the 
hypochondriac  idea  of  a  spectre  appearing  in  a  certain  shape 
at  a  given  hour,  placed  before  him  a  person  dressed  up  in  the 
manner  he  described.  "  Mon  Dieu  ,^"  said  the  expiring  sin- 
ner, who,  it  seems,  saw  both  the  real  and  polygraphic  appari- 
tion, "  il  1/  en  a  deux  P^  The  surprise  of  the  Lord  Keeper  was 
scarcely  less  unpleasing  at  the  duplication  of  the  expected  ar- 
rival ;  his  mind  misgave  him  strangely.  There  was  no  neigh- 
bour who  would  have  approached  so  unceremoniously,  at  a 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  241 

time  when  ceremony  was  held  in  such  respect.  It  must  be 
Lady  Ashton,  said  his  conscience,  and  followed  up  the  hint 
with  an  anxious  anticipation  of  the  purpose  of  her  sudden 
and  unannounced  return.  He  felt  that  he  was  caught  "  in  the 
manner."  That  the  company  in  which  she  had  so  unluckily 
surprised  him  was  likely  to  be  highly  distasteful  to  her,  there 
was  no  question ;  and  the  only  hope  which  remained  for  him 
was  her  high  sense  of  dignified  propriety,  which,  he  trusted, 
might  prevent  a  public  explosion.  But  so  active  were  his 
doubts  and  fears  as  altogether  to  derange  his  purposed  cere- 
monial for  the  reception  of  the  Marquis. 

These  feelings  of  apprehension  were  not  confined  to  Sir 
William  Ashton.  "It  is  my  mother — it  is  my  mother!"  said 
Lucy,  turning  as  pale  as  ashes,  and  clasping  her  hands  together 
as  she  looked  at  Ravenswood. 

"And  if  it  be  Lady  Ashton,"  said  her  lover  to  her  in  a  low 
tone,  "what  can  be  the  occasion  of  such  alarm?  Surely  the 
return  of  a  lady  to  the  family  from  which  she  has  been  so  long 
absent  should  excite  other  sensations  than  those  of  fear  and 
dismay." 

"  You  do  not  know  my  mother, "  said  Miss  Ashton,  in  a  tone 
almost  breathless  with  terror;  "what  will  she  say  when  she 
sees  you  in  this  place!" 

"  My  stay  has  been  too  long, "  said  Ravenswood,  somewhat 
haughtily,  "  if  her  displeasure  at  my  presence  is  likely  to  be 
so  formidable.  My  dear  Lucy,"  he  resumed,  in  a  tone  of 
soothing  encouragement,  "you  are  too  childishly  afraid  of 
Lady  Ashton;  she  is  a  woman  of  family — a  lady  of  fashion — 
a  person  who  must  know  the  world,  and  what  is  due  to  her 
husband  and  her  husband's  guests." 

Lucy  shook  her  head;  and,  as  if  her  mother,  still  at  the 
distance  of  half  a  mile,  could  have  seen  and  scrutinised  her  de- 
portment, she  withdrew  herself  from  beside  Ravenswood,  and, 
taking  her  brother  Henry's  arm,  led  him  to  a  different  part  of 
the  terrace.  The  Keeper  also  shuffled  down  towards  the  portal 
of  the  great  gate,  without  inviting  Ravenswood  to  accompany 
him ;  and  thus  he  remained  standing  alone  on  the  terrace,  deser- 
ted and  shunned,  as  it  were,  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  mansion. 
16 


242  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

This  suited  not  the  mood  of  one  who  was  proud  in  propor- 
tion to  his  poverty,  and  who  thought  that,  in  sacrificing  his 
deep-rooted  resentments  so  far  as  to  become  Sir  William  Ash- 
ton's  guest,  he  conferred  a  favour,  and  received  none.  "  I  can 
forgive  Lucy, "  he  said  to  himself ;  "  she  is  young,  timid,  and 
conscious  of  an  important  engagement  assumed  without  her 
mother's  sanction;  yet  she  should  remember  with  whom  it 
has  been  assumed,  and  leave  me  no  reason  to  suspect  that  she 
is  ashamed  of  her  choice.  For  the  Keeper,  sense,  spirit,  and 
expression  seem  to  have  left  his  face  and  manner  since  he  had 
the  first  glimpse  of  Lady  Ashton's  carriage.  I  must  watch 
how  this  is  to  end ;  and,  if  they  give  me  reason  to  think  my- 
self an  unwelcome  guest,  my  visit  is  soon  abridged." 

AVith  these  suspicions  floating  on  his  mind,  he  left  the  ter- 
race, and,  walking  towards  the  stables  of  the  castle,  gave  di- 
rections that  his  horse  should  be  kept  in  readiness,  in  case  he 
should  have  occasion  to  ride  abroad. 

In  the  mean  while,  the  drivers  of  the  two  carriages,  the  ap- 
proach of  which  had  occasioned  so  much  dismay  at  the  castle, 
had  become  aware  of  each  other's  presence,  as  they  approached 
upon  different  lines  to  the  head  of  the  avenue,  as  a  common 
centre.  Lady  Ashton's  driver  and  postilions  instantly  received 
orders  to  get  foremost,  if  possible,  her  ladyship  being  desirous 
of  despatching  her  first  interview  with  her  husband  before  the 
arrival  of  these  guests,  whoever  they  might  happen  to  be.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  coachman  of  the  Marquis,  conscious  of  his 
own  dignity  and  that  of  his  master,  and  observing  the  rival 
charioteer  was  mending  his  pace,  resolved,  like  a  true  brother 
of  the  whip,  whether  ancient  or  modern,  to  vindicate  his  right 
of  precedence.  So  that,  to  increase  the  confusion  of  the  Lord 
Keeper's  understanding,  he  saw  the  short  time  which  remained 
for  consideration  abridged  by  the  haste  of  the  contending  coach- 
riien,  who,  fixing  their  eyes  sternly  on  each  other,  and  apply- 
ing the  lash  smartly  to  their  horses,  began  to  thunder  down 
the  descent  with  emulous  rapidity,  while  the  horsemen  who 
attended  them  were  forced  to  put  on  to  a  hand-gallop. 

Sir  William's  only  chance  now  remaining  was  the  possibility 
of  an  overturn,  and  that  his  lady  or  visitor  might  break  their 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  243 

necks.  I  am  not  aware  that  he  formed  any  distinct  wish  on 
the  subject,  but  I  have  no  reason  to  think  that  his  grief  in 
either  case  would  have  been  altogether  inconsolable.  This 
chance,  however,  also  disappeared;  for  Lady  Ashton,  though 
insensible  to  fear,  began  to  see  the  ridicule  of  running  a  race 
with  a  visitor  of  distinction,  the  goal  being  the  portal  of  her 
own  castle,  and  commanded  her  coachman,  as  they  approached 
the  avenue,  to  slacken  his  pace,  and  allow  precedence  to  the 
stranger's  equipage;  a  command  which  he  gladly  obeyed,  as 
coming  in  time  to  save  his  honour,  the  horses  of  the  Marquis's 
carriage  being  better,  or,  at  least,  fresher  than  his  own.  He 
restrained  his  pace,  therefore,  and  suffered  the  green  coach  to 
enter  the  avenue,  with  all  its  retinue,  which  pass  it  occupied 
with  the  speed  of  a  whirlwind.  The  Marquis's  laced  chariot- 
eer no  sooner  found  the  jpas  d'avance  was  granted  to  him  than 
he  resumed  a  more  deliberate  pace,  at  which  he  advanced 
under  the  embowering  shade  of  the  lofty  elms,  surrounded  by 
all  the  attendants ;  while  the  carriage  of  Lady  Ashton  fol- 
lowed, still  more  slowly,  at  some  distance. 

In  the  front  of  the  castle,  and  beneath  the  portal  which  ad- 
mitted guests  into  the  inner  court,  stood  Sir  William  Ashton, 
much  perplexed  in  mind,  his  younger  son  and  daughter  beside 
him,  and  in  their  rear  a  train  of  attendants  of  various  ranks, 
in  and  out  of  livery.  The  nobility  and  gentry  of  Scotland,  at 
this  period,  were  remarkable  even  to  extravagance  for  the 
number  of  their  servants,  whose  services  were  easily  pur- 
chased in  a  country  where  men  were  numerous  beyond  propor- 
tion to  the  means  of  employing  them. 

The  manners  of  a  man  trained  like  Sir  William  Ashton  are 
too  much  at  his  command  to  remain  long  disconcerted  with  the 
most  adverse  concurrence  of  circumstances.  He  received  the 
Marquis,  as  he  alighted  from  his  equipage,  with  the  usual 
compliments  of  welcome;  and,  as  he  ushered  him  into  the 
great  hall,  expressed  his  hope  that  his  journey  had  been  pleas- 
ant. The  Marquis  was  a  tall,  well-made  man,  with  a  thought- 
ful and  intelligent  countenance,  and  an  eye  in  which  the  fire 
of  ambition  had  for  some  years  replaced  the  vivacity  of  youth; 
a  bold,   proud  expression  of  countenance,   yet  chastened  by 


244  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

habitual  caution,  and  the  desire  which,  as  the  head  of  a  party, 
he  necessarily  entertained  of  acquiring  popularity.  He  an- 
swered with  courtesy  the  courteous  inquiries  of  the  Lord 
Keeper,  and  was  formally  presented  to  Miss  Ashton,  in  the 
course  of  which  ceremony  the  Lord  Keeper  gave  the  first 
symptom  of  what  was  chiefly  occupying  his  mind,  by  intro- 
ducing his  daughter  as  "his  wife,  Lady  Ashton." 

Lucy  blushed ;  the  Marquis  looked  surprised  at  the  extremely 
juvenile  appearance  of  his  hostess,  and  the  Lord  Keeper  with 
difficulty  rallied  himself  so  far  as  to  explain.  "  I  should  have 
said  my  daughter,  my  lord ;  but  the  truth  is,  that  I  saw  Lady 
Ashton' s  carriage  enter  the  avenue  shortly  after  your  lord- 
ship's, and " 

"Make  no  apology,  my  lord,"  replied  his  noble  guest;  "let 
me  entreat  you  will  wait  on  your  lady,  and  leave  me  to  culti- 
vate Miss  Ashton's  acquaintance.  I  am  shocked  my  people 
should  have  taken  precedence  of  our  hostess  at  her  own  gate ; 
but  your  lordship  is  aware  that  I  supposed  Lady  Ashton  was 
still  in  the  south.  Permit  me  to  beseech  you  will  waive  cere- 
mony, and  hasten  to  welcome  her. " 

This  was  precisely  what  the  Lord  Keeper  longed  to  do ;  and 
he  instantly  profited  by  his  lordship's  obliging  permission. 
To  see  Lady  Ashton,  and  encounter  the  first  burst  of  her  dis- 
pleasure in  private,  might  prepare  her,  in  some  degree,  to 
receive  her  unwelcome  guests  with  due  decorum.  As  her 
carriage,  therefore,  stopped,  the  arm  of  the  attentive  husband 
was  ready  to  assist  Lady  Ashton  in  dismounting.  Looking 
as  if  she  saw  him  not,  she  put  his  arm  aside,  and  requested 
that  of  Captain  Craigengelt,  who  stood  by  the  coach  with  his 
laced  hat  under  his  arm,  having  acted  as  cavaliere  servente, 
or  squire  in  attendance,  during  the  journey.  Taking  hold  of 
this  respectable  person's  arm  as  if  to  support  her.  Lady  Ash- 
ton traversed  the  court,  uttering  a  word  or  two  by  way  of  di- 
rection to  the  servants,  but  not  one  to  Sir  William,  who  in 
vain  endeavoured  to  attract  her  attention,  as  he  rather  fol- 
lowed than  accompanied  her  into  the  hall,  in  which  they  found 
the  Marquis  in  close  conversation  with  the  Master  of  Ravens- 
wood.     Lucy  had  taken   the  first   opportunity  of   escaping. 


The  Marquis  introduces  his  cousin  to  Lady  As^hton. 

Lammermoor,  Cliap.  xxii.,  p.  245. 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  245 

There  was  embarrassment  on  every  countenance  except  that  of 

the  Marquis  of  A ;  for  even  Craigengelt's  impudence  was 

hardly  able  to  veil  his  fear  of  Kavenswood,  and  the  rest  felt 
the  awkwardness  of  the  position  in  which  they  were  thus  rm- 
expectedly  placed. 

After  waiting  a  moment  to  be  presented  by  Sir  William 
Ashton,  the  Marquis  resolved  to  introduce  himself.  "  The 
Lord  Keeper,"  he  said,  bowing  to  Lady  Ashton,  "has  just  in- 
troduced to  me  his  daughter  as  his  wife ;  he  might  very  easily 
present  Lady  Ashton  as  his  daughter,  so  little  does  she  differ 
from  what  I  remember  her  some  years  since.  Will  she  permit 
an  old  acquaintance  the  privilege  of  a  guest?" 

He  saluted  the  lady  with  too  good  a  grace  to  apprehend  a  re- 
pulse, and  then  proceeded :  "  This,  Lady  Ashton,  is  a  peace- 
making visit,  and  therefore  I  presume  to  introduce  my  cousin, 
the  young  Master  of  Ravenswood,  to  your  favourable  notice." 

Lady  Ashton  could  not  choose  but  courtesy ;  but  there  was 
in  her  obeisance  an  air  of  haughtiness  approaching  to  con- 
temptuous repulse.  Eavenswood  could  not  choose  but  bow; 
but  his  manner  returned  the  scorn  with  which  he  had  been 
greeted. 

"Allow  me,"  she  said,  "to  present  to  your  lordship  my 
friend."  Craigengelt,  with  the  forward  impudence  which 
men  of  his  cast  mistake  for  ease,  made  a  sliding  bow  to  the 
Marquis,  which  he  graced  by  a  flourish  of  his  gold-laced  hat. 
The  lady  turned  to  her  husband.  "  You  and  I,  Sir  William, " 
she  said,  and  these  were  the  first  words  she  had  addressed  to 
him,  "  have  acquired  new  acquaintances  since  we  parted ;  let 
me  introduce  the  acquisition  I  have  made  to  mine — Captain 
Craigengelt." 

Another  bow,  and  another  flourish  of  the  gold-laced  hat, 
which  was  returned  by  the  Lord  Keeper  without  intimation 
of  former  recognition,  and  with  that  sort  of  anxious  readiness 
which  intimated  his  wish  that  peace  and  amnesty  should  take 
place  betwixt  the  contending  parties,  including  the  auxiliaries 
on  both  sides.  "  Let  me  introduce  you  to  the  Master  of  Ra- 
venswood," said  he  to  Captain  Craigengelt,  following  up  the 
same  amicable  system. 


246  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

But  the  Master  drew  up  his  tall  form  to  the  full  extent  of 
his  height,  and  without  so  much  as  looking  towards  the  per- 
son thus  introduced  to  him,  he  said,  in  a  marked  tone :  "  Cap- 
tain Craigengelt  and  I  are  already  perfectly  well  acquainted 
with  each  other." 

"Perfectly — perfectly,"  replied  the  Captain,  in  a  mumbling 
tone,  like  that  of  a  double  echo,  and  with  a  flourish  of  his  hat, 
the  circumference  of  which  was  greatly  abridged,  compared 
with  those  which  had  so  cordially  graced  his  introduction  to 
the  Marquis  and  the  Lord  Keeper. 

Lockhard,  followed  by  three  menials,  now  entered  with  wine 
and  refreshments,  which  it  was  the  fashion  to  offer  as  a  whet 
before  dinner ;  and  when  they  were  placed  before  the  guests, 
Lady  Ashton  made  an  apology  for  withdrawing  her  husband 
from  them  for  some  minutes  upon  business  of  special  import. 
The  Marquis,  of  course,  requested  her  ladyship  would  lay  her- 
self under  no  restraint;  and  Craigengelt,  bolting  with  speed  a 
second  glass  of  racy  canary,  hastened  to  leave  the  room,  feel- 
ing no  great  pleasure  in  the  prospect  of  being  left  alone  with 

the  Marquis  of  A and  the  Master  of  Eavenswood;  the 

presence  of  the  former  holding  him  in  awe,  and  that  of  the 
latter  in  bodily  terror. 

Some  arrangements  about  his  horse  and  baggage  formed  the 
pretext  for  his  sudden  retreat,  in  which  he  persevered,  al- 
though Lady  Ashton  gave  Lockhard  orders  to  be  careful  most 
particularly  to  accommodate  Captain  Craigengelt  with  all  the 
attendance  which  he  could  possibly  require.  The  Marquis 
and  the  Master  of  Ravenswood  were  thus  left  to  commimicate 
to  each  other  their  remarks  upon  the  reception  which  they  had 
met  with,  while  Lady  Ashton  led  the  way,  and  her  lord  followed 
somewhat  like  a  condemned  criminal,  to  her  ladyship's  dress- 
ing-room. 

So  soon  as  the  spouses  had  both  entered,  her  ladyship  gave 
way  to  that  fierce  audacity  of  temper  which  she  had  with  dif- 
ficulty suppressed,  out  of  respect  to  appearances.  She  shut 
the  door  behind  the  alarmed  Lord  Keeper,  took  the  key  out 
of  the  spring-lock,  and  with  a  countenance  which  years  had 
not  bereft  of  its  haughty  charms,  and  eyes  which  spoke  at 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  247 

once  resolution  and  resentment,  she  addressed  her  astounded 
husband  in  these  words :  "  My  lord,  I  am  not  greatly  sur- 
prised at  the  connexions  you  have  been  pleased  to  form  dur- 
ing my  absence,  they  are  entirely  in  conformity  with  your 
birth  and  breeding;  and  if  I  did  expect  anything  else,  I 
heartily  own  my  error,  and  that  I  merit,  by  having  done  so, 
the  disappointment  you  had  prepared  for  me. " 

"My  dear  Lady  Ashton — my  dear  Eleanor  [Margaret]," 
said  the  Lord  Keeper,  "  listen  to  reason  for  a  moment,  and 
I  will  convince  you  I  have  acted  with  all  the  regard  due  to 
the  dignity,  as  well  as  the  interest,  of  my  family." 

"  To  the  interest  of  your  family  I  conceive  you  perfectly 
capable  of  attending,"  returned  the  indignant  lady,  "and  even 
to  the  dignity  of  your  own  family  also,  as  far  as  it  requires 
any  looking  after.  But  as  mine  happens  to  be  inextricably 
involved  with  it,  you  will  excuse  me  if  I  choose  to  give  my 
own  attention  so  far  as  that  is  concerned." 

"What  would  you  have.  Lady  Ashton?"  said  the  husband. 
"  What  is  it  that  displeases  you?  Why  is  it  that,  on  your  re- 
turn after  so  long  an  absence,  I  am  arraigned  in  this  manner?" 

"  Ask  your  own  conscience.  Sir  William,  what  has  prompted 
you  to  become  a  renegade  to  your  political  party  and  opinions, 
and  led  you,  for  what  I  know,  to  be  on  the  point  of  marrying 
your  only  daughter  to  a  beggarly  Jacobite  bankrupt,  the  in- 
veterate enemy  of  your  family  to  the  boot." 

"  Why,  what,  in  the  name  of  common  sense  and  common 
civility,  would  you  have  me  do,  madam?"  answered  her  hus- 
band. "Is  it  possible  for  me,  with  ordinary  decency,  to  turn 
a  young  gentleman  out  of  my  house,  who  saved  my  daughter's 
life  and  my  own,  but  the  other  morning,  as  it  were?" 

"Saved  your  life!  I  have  heard  of  that  story,"  said  the 
lady,  "  The  Lord  Keeper  was  scared  by  a  dun  cow,  and  he 
takes  the  young  fellow  who  killed  her  for  Guy  of  Warwick: 
any  butcher  from  Haddington  may  soon  have  an  equal  claim 
on  your  hospitality." 

"Lady  Ashton,"  stammered  the  Keeper,  "this  is  intoler- 
able ;  and  when  I  am  desirous,  too,  to  make  you  easy  by  any 
sacrifice,  if  you  would  but  tell  me  what  you  would  be  at. " 


248  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

^'  Go  down  to  your  guests, "  said  the  imperious  dame,  "  and 
make  your  apology  to  Ravens  wood,  that  the  arrival  of  Captain 
Craigengelt  and  some  other  friends  renders  it  impossible  for 
you  to  offer  him  lodgings  at  the  castle.  I  expect  young  Mr. 
Hayston  of  Bucklaw." 

"Good  heavens,  madam!"  ejaculated  her  husband.  "Ra- 
venswood  to  give  place  to  Craigengelt,  a  common  gambler  and 
an  informer!  It  was  all  I  could  do  to  forbear  desiring  the  fel- 
low to  get  out  of  my  house,  and  I  was  much  surprised  to  see 
him  in  your  ladyship's  train." 

"  Since  you  saw  him  there,  you  might  be  well  assured, " 
answered  this  meek  helpmate,  "  that  he  was  proper  society. 
As  to  this  Ravenswood,  he  only  meets  with  the  treatment 
which,  to  my  certain  knowledge,  he  gave  to  a  much-valued 
friend  of  mine,  who  had  the  misfortune  to  be  his  guest  some 
time  since.  But  take  your  resolution;  for,  if  Ravenswood 
does  not  quit  the  house,  I  will. " 

Sir  William  Ashton  paced  up  and  down  the  apartment  in  the 
most  distressing  agitation;  fear,  and  shame,  and  anger  con- 
tending against  the  habitual  deference  he  was  in  the  use  of 
rendering  to  his  lady.  At  length  it  ended,  as  is  usual  with 
timid  minds  placed  in  such  circumstances,  in  his  adopting  a 
mezzo  termine — a  middle  measure. 

"  I  tell  you  frankly,  madam,  I  neither  can  nor  will  be  guilty 
of  the  incivility  you  propose  to  the  Master  of  Ravenswood ;  he 
has  not  deserved  it  at  my  hand.  If  you  will  be  so  unreason- 
able as  to  insult  a  man  of  quality  under  your  own  roof,  I  can- 
not prevent  you ;  but  I  will  not  at  least  be  the  agent  in  such 
a  preposterous  proceeding." 

"  You  will  not?"  asked  the  lady. 

"No,  by  heavens,  madam!"  her  husband  replied;  "ask  me 
anything  congruent  with  common  decency,  as  to  drop  his  ac- 
quaintance by  degrees,  or  the  like ;  but  to  bid  him  leave  my 
house  is  what  I  will  not  and  cannot  consent  to." 

"  Then  the  task  of  supporting  the  honour  of  the  family  will 
fall  on  me,  as  it  has  often  done  before,"  said  the  lady. 

She  sat  down,  and  hastily  wrote  a  few  lines.  The  Lord 
Keeper  made  another  effort  to  prevent  her  taking  a  step  so 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  249 

decisive,  just  as  she  opened  the  door  to  call  her  female  attend- 
ant from  the  ante-room.  "  Think  what  you  are  doing,  Lady 
Ashton :  you  are  making  a  mortal  enemy  of  a  young  man  who 
is  like  to  have  the  means  of  harming  us " 

"Did  you  ever  know  a  Douglas  who  feared  an  enemy?"  an- 
swered the  lady,  contemptuously. 

"Ay,  but  he  is  as  proud  and  vindictive  as  an  hundred 
Douglasses,  and  an  hundred  devils  to  boot.  Think  of  it  for 
a  night  only. " 

"Not  for  another  moment,"  answered  the  lady.  "Here, 
Mrs.  Patullo,  give  this  billet  to  young  Ravenswood." 

"To  the  Master,  madam!"  said  Mrs.  Patullo. 

"  Ay,  to  the  Master,  if  you  call  him  so. " 

"  I  wash  my  hands  of  it  entirely, "  said  the  Keeper ;  "  and  I 
shall  go  down  into  the  garden,  and  see  that  Jardine  gathers 
the  winter  fruit  for  the  dessert." 

"  Do  so, "  said  the  lady,  looking  after  him  with  glances  of 
infinite  contempt ;  "  and  thank  God  that  you  leave  one  behind 
you  as  fit  to  protect  the  honour  of  the  family  as  you  are  to  look 
after  pippins  and  pears. " 

The  Lord  Keeper  remained  long  enough  in  the  garden  to 
give  her  ladyship's  mind  time  to  explode,  and  to  let,  as  he 
thought,  at  least  the  first  violence  of  Ravenswood's  displeas- 
ure blow  over.  When  he  entered  the  hall,  he  found  the  Mar- 
quis of  A giving  orders  to  some  of  his  attendants.     He 

seemed  in  high  displeasure,  and  interrupted  an  apology  which 
Sir  William  had  commenced  for  having  left  his  lordship 
alone. 

"  I  presume.  Sir  William,  you  are  no  stranger  to  this  singu- 
lar billet  with  which  my  kinsman  of  Ravenswood  (an  emphasis 
on  the  word  'my')  has  been  favoured  by  your  lady;  and,  of 
course,  that  you  are  prepared  to  receive  my  adieus.  My 
kinsman  is  already  gone,  having  thought  it  unnecessary  to 
offer  any  on  his  part,  since  all  former  civilities  had  been  can- 
celled by  this  singular  insult." 

"I  protest,  my  lord,"  said  Sir  William,  holding  the  billet 
in  his  hand,  "  I  am  not  privy  to  the  contents  of  this  letter.  I 
know  Lady  Ashton  is  a  warm-tempered  and  prejudiced  woman, 


250  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

and  I  am  sincerely  sorry  for  any  oifence  that  has  been  given  or 
taken ;  but  I  hope  your  lordship  will  consider  that  a  lady — ■ — " 

"  Should  bear  herself  towards  persons  of  a  certain  rank  with 
the  breeding  of  one,"  said  the  Marquis,  "  completing  the  half- 
uttered  sentence. 

"  True,  my  lord, "  said  the  unfortunate  Keeper ;  "  but  Lady 
Ashton  is  still  a  woman " 

"And  as  such,  methinks,"  said  the  Marquis,  again  inter- 
rupting him,  "  should  be  taught  the  duties  which  correspond 
to  her  station.  But  here  she  comes,  and  I  will  learn  from  her 
own  mouth  the  reason  of  this  extraordinary  and  unexpected 
affront  offered  to  my  near  relation,  while  both  he  and  1  were 
her  ladyship's  guests." 

Lady  Ashton  accordingly  entered  the  apartment  at  this 
moment.  Her  dispute  with  Sir  William,  and  a  subsequent 
interview  with  her  daughter,  had  not  prevented  her  from  at- 
tending to  the  duties  of  her  toilette.  She  appeared  in  full 
dress ;  and,  from  the  character  of  her  countenance  and  man- 
ner, well  became  the  splendour  with  which  ladies  of  quality 
then  appeared  on  such  occasions. 

The  Marquis  of  A ■  bowed  haughtily,  and  she  returned 

the  salute  with  equal  pride  and  distance  of  demeanour.  He 
then  took  from  the  passive  hand  of  Sir  William  Ashton  the 
billet  he  had  given  him  the  moment  before  he  approached  the 
lady,  and  was  about  to  speak,  when  she  interrupted  him.  "  I 
perceive,  my  lord,  you  are  about  to  enter  upon  an  unpleasant 
subject.  I  am  sorry  any  such  should  have  occurred  at  this 
time,  to  interrupt  in  the  slightest  degree  the  respectful  recep- 
tion due  to  your  lordship ;  but  so  it  is.  Mr.  Edgar  Kavens- 
wood,  for  whom  I  have  addressed  the  billet  in  your  lordship's 
hand,  has  abused  the  hospitality  of  this  family,  and  Sir  Wil- 
liam Ashton' s  softness  of  temper,  in  order  to  seduce  a  young 
person  into  engagements  without  her  parents'  consent,  and  of 
which  they  never  can  approve." 

Both  gentlemen  answered  at  once.  "  My  kinsman  is  inca- 
pable  "  said  the  Lord  Marquis. 

"  I  am  confident  that  my  daughter  Lucy  is  still  more  inca- 
pable  "  said  the  Lord  Keeper. 


THE   BRIDE   OF   LAMMERMOOR.  261 

Lady  Ashton  at  once  interrupted  and  replied  to  them  both : 
"  My  Lord  Marquis,  your  kinsman,  if  Mr.  Ravenswood  has  the 
honour  to  be  so,  has  made  the  attempt  privately  to  secure  the 
affections  of  this  young  and  inexperienced  girl.  Sir  William 
Ashton,  your  daughter  has  been  simple  enough  to  give  more 
encouragement  than  she  ought  to  have  done  to  so  very  im- 
proper a  suitor." 

"  Ajid  I  think,  madam, "  said  the  Lord  Keeper,  losing  his 
accustomed  temper  and  patience,  "that  if  you  had  nothing 
better  to  tell  us,  you  had  better  have  kept  this  family  secret  to 
yourself  also." 

"  You  will  pardon  me,  Sir  William, "  said  the  lady,  calmly ; 
"  th^  noble  Marquis  has  a  right  to  know  the  cause  of  the  treat- 
ment I  have  found  it  necessary  to  use  to  a  gentleman  whom  he 
calls  his  blood-relation." 

"It  is  a  cause, "  muttered  the  Lord  Keeper,  "  which  has 
emerged  since  the  effect  has  taken  place ;  for,  if  it  exists  at 
all,  I  am  sure  she  knew  nothing  of  it  when  her  letter  to 
K-avenswood  was  written." 

"  It  is  the  first  time  that  I  have  heard  of  this, "  said  the 
Marquis;  ''but,  since  your  ladyship  has  tabled  a  subject  so 
delicate,  permit  me  to  say,  that  my  kinsman's  birth  and  con- 
nexions entitled  him  to  a  patient, hearing,  and  at  least  a  civil 
refusal,  even  in  case  of  his  being  so  ambitious  as  to  raise  his 
eyes  to  the  daughter  of  Sir  W'illiam  Ashton." 

"  You  will  recollect,  my  lord,  of  what  blood  Miss  Lucy  Ash- 
ton is  come  by  the  mother's  side,"  said  the  lady. 

"  I  do  remember  your  descent — from  a  younger  branch  of 
the  house  of  Angus, "  said  the  Marquis ;  "  and  your  ladyship — 
forgive  me,  lady — ought  not  to  forget  that  the  Ravenswoods 
have  thrice  intermarried  with  the  main  stem.  Come,  madam, 
I  know  how  matters  stand — old  and  long-fostered  prejudices 
are  difficult  to  get  over,  I  make  every  allowance  for  them ;  I 
ought  not,  and  I  would  not,  otherwise  have  suffered  my  kins- 
man to  depart  alone,  expelled,  in  a  manner,  from  this  house, 
but  I  had  hopes  of  being  a  mediator.  I  am  still  unwilling 
to  leave  you  in  anger,  and  shall  not  set  forward  till  after 
noon,  as  I  rejoin  the  Master  of  Ravenswood  upon  the  road 


252  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

a  few  miles  from  hence.  Let  us  talk  over  this  matter  more 
coolly." 

"  It  is  what  I  anxiously  desire,  my  lord, "  said  Sir  William 
Ashton,  eagerly.     "  Lady  Ashton,  we  will  not  permit  my  Lord 

of  A to  leave  us  in  displeasure.     We  must  compel  him 

to  tarry  dinner  at  the  castle." 

"  The  castle, "  said  the  lady,  "  and  all  that  it  contains,  are 
at  the  command  of  the  Marquis,  so  long  as  he  chooses  to 
honour  it  with  his  residence ;  but  touching  the  farther  discus- 
sion of  this  disagreeable  topic " 

"  Pardon  me,  good  madam, "  said  the  Marquis ;  "  but  I  can- 
not allow  you  to  express  any  hasty  resolution  on  a  subject  so 
important.  I  see  that  more  company  is  arriving;  and,  since 
I  have  the  good  fortune  to  renew  my  former  acquaintance  with 
Lady  Ashton,  I  hope  she  will  give  me  leave  to  avoid  perilling 
what  I  prize  so  highly  upon  any  disagreeable  subject  of  dis- 
cussion— at  least  till  we  have  talked  over  more  pleasant  topics." 

The  lady  smiled,  courtesied,  and  gave  her  hand  to  the  Mar- 
quis, by  whom,  with  all  the  formal  gallantry  of  the  time,  which 
did  not  permit  the  guest  to  tuck  the  lady  of  the  house  under 
the  arm,  as  a  rustic  does  his  sweetheart  at  a  wake,  she  was 
ushered  to  the  eating-room. 

Here  they  were  joined  by  Bucklaw,  Craigengelt,  and  other 
neighbours,  whom  the  Lord  Keeper  had  previously  invited  to 

meet  the  Marquis  of  A .     An  apology,  founded  upon  a 

slight  indisposition,  was  alleged  as  an  excuse  for  the  absence 
of  Miss  Ashton,  whose  seat  appeared  unoccupied.  The  enter- 
tainment was  splendid  to  profusion,  and  was  protracted  till  a 
late  hour. 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMEKMOOR.  263 


CHArTEE,    XXIII. 

Such  was  our  fallen  father's  fate. 

Yet  better  than  mine  own  ; 
He  shared  his  exile  with  his  mate, 

I'm  banish'd  forth  alone. 

Waller. 

I  WILL  not  attempt  to  describe  the  mixture  of  indignation 
and  regret  with  which  Ravenswood  left  the  seat  which  had 
belonged  to  his  ancestors.  The  terms  in  which  Lady  Ashton's 
billet  was  couched  rendered  it  impossible  for  him,  without  being 
deficient  in  that  spirit  of  which  he  perhaps  had  too  much,  to 
remain  an  instant  longer  within  its  walls.  The  Marquis,  who 
had  his  share  in  the  affront,  was,  nevertheless,  still  willing  to 
make  some  efforts  at  conciliation.  He  therefore  suffered  his 
kinsman  to  depart  alone,  making  him  promise,  however,  that 
he  would  wait  for  him  at  the  small  inn  called  the  Tod's  Hole, 
situated,  as  our  readers  may  be  pleased  to  recollect,  half-way 
betwixt  Ravenswood  Castle  and  Wolf's  Crag,  and  about  five 
Scottish  miles  distant  from  each.  Here  the  Marquis  proposed 
to  join  the  Master  of  Ravenswood,  either  that  night  or  the 
next  morning.  His  own  feelings  would  have  induced  him  to 
have  left  the  castle  directly,  but  he  was  loth  to  forfeit,  with- 
out at  least  one  effort,  the  advantages  which  he  had  proposed 
from  his  visit  to  the  Lord  Keeper;  and  the  Master  of  Ravens- 
wood was,  even  in  the  very  heat  of  his  resentment,  unwilling 
to  foreclose  any  chance  of  reconciliation  which  might  arise 
out  of  the  partiality  which  Sir  William  Ashton  had  shown 
towards  him,  as  well  as  the  intercessory  arguments  of  his 
noble  kinsman.  He  himself  departed  without  a  moment's  de- 
la}^,  farther  than  was  necessary  to  make  this  arrangement. 

At  first  he  spurred  his  horse  at  a  quick  pace  through  an 
avenue  of  the  park,  as  if,  by  rapidity  of  motion,  he  could 
stupify  the  confusion  of  feelings  with  which  he  was  assailed. 
But  as  the  road  grew  wilder  and  more  sequestered,  and  when 
the  trees  had  hidden  the  turrets  of  the  castle,  he  gradually 
slackened  his    pace,  as  if  to  indulge  the  painful  reflections 


254  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

which  he  had  in  vaiu  endeavoured  to  repress.  The  path  in 
which  he  found  himself  led  him  to  the  Mermaiden's  Foun- 
tain, and  to  the  cottage  of  Alice ;  and  the  fatal  influence  which 
superstitious  belief  attached  to  the  former  spot,  as  well  as  the 
admonitions  which  had  been  in  vain  offered  to  him  by  the  in- 
habitant of  the  latter,  forced  themselves  upon  his  memory. 
"  Old  saws  speak  truth, ''  he  said  to  himself,  "  and  the  Mer- 
maiden's Well  has  indeed  witnessed  the  last  act  of  rashness  of 
the  heir  of  Ravenswood.  Alice  spoke  well,"  he  continued, 
"and  I  am  in  the  situation  which  she  foretold;  or  rather,  I 
arc  more  deeply  dishonoured — not  the  dependant  and  ally  of 
ths  destroyer  of  my  father's  house,  as  the  old  sibyl  presaged, 
but  the  degraded  wretch  who  has  aspired  to  hold  that  subor- 
dinate character,  and  has  been  rejected  with  disdain." 

We  are  bound  to  tell  the  tale  as  we  have  received  it;  and, 
considering  the  distance  of  the  time,  and  propensity  of  those 
through  whose  mouths  it  has  passed  to  the  marvellous,  this 
could  not  be  called  a  Scottish  story  unless  it  manifested  a 
tinge  of  Scottish  superstition.  As  Ravenswood  approached 
the  solitary  fountain,  he  is  said  to  have  met  with  the  follow- 
ing singular  adventure :  His  horse,  which  was  moving  slowly 
forward,  suddenly  interrupted  its  steady  and  composed  pace, 
snorted,  reared,  and,  though  urged  by  the  spur,  refused  to 
proceed,  as  if  some  object  of  terror  had  suddenly  presented 
itself.  On  looking  to  the  fountain,  Ravenswood  discerned  a 
female  figure,  dressed  in  a  white,  or  rather  greyish,  mantle, 
placed  on  the  very  spot  on  which  Lucy  Ashton  had  reclined 
while  listening  to  the  fatal  tale  of  love.  His  immediate  im- 
pression was  that  she  had  conjectured  by  which  path  he  would 
traverse  the  park  on  his  departure,  and  placed  herself  at  this 
well-known  and  sequestered  place  of  rendezvous,  to  indulge 
her  own  sorrow  and  his  in  a  parting  interview.  Ln  this  belief 
he  jumped  from  his  horse,  and,  making  its  bridle  fast  to  a 
tree,  walked  hastily  towards  the  fountain,  pronouncing  eager- 
ly, yet  under  his  breath,  the  words,  "Miss  Ashton! — Lucy!" 

The  figure  turned  as  he  addressed  it,  and  displayed  to  his 
wondering  eyes  the  features,  not  of  Lucy  Ashton,  but  of  old 
blind  Alice.     The  singularity  of  her  dress,  which  rather  resem- 


THE   BRIDE   OF   LAMMERMOOR.  255 

bled  a  shroud  than  the  garment  of  a  living  woman ;  the  ap- 
pearance of  her  person,  larger,  as  it  struck  him,  than  it  usually 
seemed  to  be ;  above  all,  the  strange  circumstance  of  a  blind, 
infirm,  and  decrepit  person  being  found  alone  and  at  a  dis- 
tance from  her  habitation  (considerable,  if  her  mfirmities  be 
taken  into  account),  combined  to  impress  him  with  a  feeling 
of  wonder  approaching  to  fear.  As  he  approached,  she  arose 
slowly  from  her  seat,  held  her  shrivelled  hand  up  as  if  to  pre- 
vent his  coming  more  near,  and  her  withered  lips  moved  fast, 
although  no  sound  issued  from  them.  Ravenswood  stopped ; 
and  as,  after  a  moment's  pause,  he  again  advanced  towards 
her,  Alice,  or  her  apparition,  moved  or  glided  backwards  to- 
wards the  thicket,  still  keeping  her  face  turned  towards 
him.  The  trees  soon  hid  the  form  from  his  sight ;  and,  yield- 
ing to  the  strong  and  terrific  impression  that  the  being  which 
he  had  seen  was  not  of  this  world,  the  Master  of  Ravenswood 
remained  rooted  to  the  ground  whereon  he  had  stood  when  he 
caught  his  last  view  of  her.  At  length,  summoning  up  his 
courage,  he  advanced  to  the  spot  on  which  the  figure  had 
seemed  to  be  seated ;  but  neither  was  there  pressure  of  the 
grass  nor  any  other  circumstance  to  induce  him  to  believe  that 
what  he  had  seen  was  real  and  substantial. 

Full  of  those  strange  thoughts  and  confused  apprehensions 
which  awake  in  the  bosom  of  one  who  conceives  he  has  wit- 
nessed some  preternatural  appearance,  the  Master  of  Ravens- 
wood walked  back  towards  his  horse,  frequently,  however, 
looking  behind  him,  not  without  apprehension,  as  if  expecting 
that  the  vision  would  reappear.  But  the  apparition,  whether 
it  was  real  or  whether  it  was  the  creation  of  a  heated  and  agi- 
tated imagination,  returned  not  again  j  and  he  found  his  horse 
sweating  and  terrified,  as  if  experiencing  that  agony  of  fear 
with  which  the  presence  of  a  supernatural  being  is  supposed 
to  agitate  the  brute  creation.  The  Master  mounted,  and  rode 
slowly  forward,  soothing  his  steed  from  time  to  time,  while 
the  animal  seemed  internally  to  shrink  and  shudder,  as  if  ex- 
pecting some  new  object  of  fear  at  the  opening  of  every  glade. 
The  rider,  after  a  moment's  consideration,  resolved  to  investi- 
gate the  matter  further.     "  Can  my  eyes  have  deceived  me, '' 


256  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

he  said,  "  and  deceived  me  for  such  a  space  of  time?  Or  are 
this  woman's  infirmities  but  feigned,  in  order  to  excite  com- 
passion? And  even  then,  her  motion  resembled  not  that  of  a 
living  and  existing  person.  Must  I  adopt  the  popular  creed, 
and  think  that  the  unhappy  being  has  formed  a  league  with 
the  powers  of  darkness?  I  am  determined  to  be  resolved;  I 
will  not  brook  imposition  even  from  my  own  eyes." 

In  this  uncertainty  he  rode  up  to  the  little  wicket  of  Alice's 
garden.  Her  seat  beneath  the  birch-tree  was  vacant,  though 
the  day  was  pleasant  and  the  sun  was  high.  He  approached 
the  hut,  and  heard  from  within  the  sobs  and  wailing  of  a  fe- 
male. No  answer  was  returned  when  he  knocked,  so  that, 
after  a  moment's  pause,  he  lifted  the  latch  and  entered.  It 
was  indeed  a  house  of  solitude  and  sorrow.  Stretched  upon 
her  miserable  pallet  lay  the  corpse  of  the  last  retainer  of  the 
house  of  Ravenswood  who  still  abode  on  their  paternal  do- 
mains !  Life  had  but  shortly  departed ;  and  the  little  girl  by 
whom  she  had  been  attended  in  her  last  moments  was  wringing 
her  hands  and  sobbing,  betwixt  childish  fear  and  sorrow,  over 
the  body  of  her  mistress. 

The  Master  of  Ravenswood  had  some  difficulty  to  compose 
the  terrors  of  the  poor  child,  whom  his  unexpected  appearance 
had  at  first  rather  appalled  than  comforted ;  and  when  he  suc- 
ceeded, the  first  expression  which  the  girl  used  intimated  that 
"  he  had  come  too  late. "  Upon  inquiring  the  meaning  of  this 
expression,  he  learned  that  the  deceased,  upon  the  first  attack 
of  the  mortal  agony,  had  sent  a  peasant  to  the  castle  to  beseech 
an  interview  of  the  Master  of  Ravenswood,  and  had  expressed 
the  utmost  impatience  for  his  return.  But  the  messengers  of 
the  poor  are  tardy  and  negligent :  the  fellow  had  not  reached 
the  castle,  as  was  afterwards  learned,  until  Ravenswood  had 
left  it,  and  had  then  found  too  much  amusement  among  the 
retmue  of  the  strangers  to  return  in  any  haste  to  the  cottage 
of  Alice.  Meantime  her  anxiety  of  mind  seemed  to  increase 
with  the  agony  of  her  body ;  and,  to  use  the  phrase  of  Babie, 
her  only  attendant,  "  she  prayed  powerfully  that  she  might 
see  her  master's  son  once  more,  aud  renew  her  warning." 
She  died  just  as  the  clock  in  the  distant  village  tolled  onej 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  257 

and  Ravenswood  remembered,  with  internal  shuddering,  that 
he  had  heard  the  chime  sound  through  the  wood  just  before 
he  had  seen  what  he  was  now  much  disposed  to  consider  as 
the  spectre  of  the  deceased. 

It  was  necessary,  as  well  from  his  respect  to  the  departed 
as  in  common  humanity  to  her  terrified  attendant,  that  he 
should  take  some  measures  to  relieve  the  girl  from  her  dis- 
tressing situation.  The  deceased,  he  understood,  had  ex- 
pressed a  desire  to  be  buried  in  a  solitary  churchyard,  near 
the  little  inn  of  the  Tod's  Hole,  called  the  Hermitage,  or  more 
commonly  Armitage,  in  which  lay  mterred  some  of  the  Ra- 
venswood family,  and  many  of  their  followers.  Ravenswood 
conceived  it  his  duty  to  gratify  this  predilection,  commonly 
found  to  exist  among  the  Scottish  peasantry,  and  despatched 
Babie  to  the  neighbouring  village  to  procure  the  assistance  of 
some  females,  assuring  her  that,  in  the  mean  while,  he  would 
himself  remain  with  the  dead  body,  which,  as  in  Thessaly  of 
old,  it  is  accounted  highly  unfit  to  leave  without  a  watch. 

Thus,  in  the  course  of  a  quarter  of  an  hour  or  little  more, 
he  found  himself  sitting  a  solitary  guard  over  the  inanimate 
corpse  of  her  whose  dismissed  spirit,  unless  his  eyes  had 
strangely  deceived  him,  had  so  recently  manifested  itself  be- 
fore him.  Notwithstanding  his  natural  courage,  the  Master 
was  considerably  affected  by  a  concurrence  of  circumstances 
so  extraordinary.  "  She  died  expressing  her  eager  desire 
to  see  me.  Can  it  be,  then,"  was  his  natural  course  of  reflec- 
tion— "  can  strong  and  earnest  wishes,  formed  during  the  last 
agony  of  nature,  survive  its  catastrophe,  surmount  the  awful 
bounds  of  the  spiritual  world,  and  place  before  us  its  inhabi- 
tants in  the  hues  and  colouring  of  life?  And  why  was  that 
manifested  to  the  eye  which  could  not  unfold  its  tale  to  the 
ear?  and  wherefore  should  a  breach  be  made  in  the  laws  of 
nature,  yet  its  purpose  remain  unknown?  Vain  questions, 
which  only  death,  when  it  shall  make  me  like  the  pale  and 
withered  form  before  me,  can  ever  resolve." 

He  laid  a  cloth,  as  he  spoke,  over  the  lifeless  face,  upon 
whose  features  he  felt  unwilling  any  longer  to  dwell.     He 
then  took  his  place  in  an  old  carved  oaken  chair,  ornamented 
17 


258  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

with  his  own  armorial  bearings,  which  Alice  had  contrived  to 
appropriate  to  her  own  use  in  the  pillage  which  took  place 
among  creditors,  officers,  domestics,  and  messengers  of  the 
law  when  his  father  left  Eavenswood  Castle  for  the  last  time. 
Thus  seated,  he  banished,  as  much  as  he  could,  the  supersti- 
tious feelings  which  the  late  incident  naturally  inspired.  His 
own  were  sad  enough,  without  the  exaggeration  of  supernatu- 
ral terror,  since  he  found  himself  transferred  from  the  situation 
of  a  successful  lover  of  Lucy  Ashton,  and  an  honoured  and 
respected  friend  of  her  father,  into  the  melancholy  and  soli- 
tary guardian  of  the  abandoned  and  forsaken  corpse  of  a  com- 
mon pauper. 

He  was  relieved,  however,  from  his  sad  office  sooner  that 
he  could  reasonably  have  expected,  considering  the  distance 
betwixt  the  hut  of  the  deceased  and  the  village,  and  the  age 
and  infirmities  of  three  old  women  who  came  from  thence,  in 
military  phrase,  to  relieve  guard  upon  the  body  of  the  defunct. 
On  any  other  occasion  the  speed  of  these  reverend  sibyls  would 
have  been  much  more  moderate,  for  the  first  was  eighty  years 
of  age  and  upwards,  the  second  was  paralytic,  and  the  third 
lame  of  a  leg  from  some  accident.  But  the  burial  duties  ren- 
dered to  the  deceased  are,  to  the  Scottish  peasant  of  either 
sex,  a  labour  of  love.  I  know  not  whether  it  is  from  the  tem- 
per of  the  people,  grave  and  enthusiastic  as  it  certainly  is,  or 
from  the  recollection  of  the  ancient  Catholic  opinions,  when 
the  funeral  rites  were  always  considered  as  a  period  of  festival 
to  the  living;  but  feasting,  good  cheer,  and  even  inebriety, 
were,  and  are,  the  frequent  accompaniments  of  a  Scottish  old- 
fashioned  burial.  What  the  funeral  feast,  or  "dirgie,"  as  it 
is  called,  was  to  the  men,  the  gloomy  preparations  of  the  dead 
body  for  the  coffin  were  to  the  women.  To  straight  the  con- 
torted limbs  upon  a  board  used  for  that  melancholy  purpose, 
to  array  the  corpse  in  clean  linen,  and  over  that  in  its  woollen 
shroud,  were  operations  committed  always  to  the  old  matrons 
of  the  village,  and  in  which  they  found  a  singular  and  gloomy 
delight. 

The  old  women  paid  the  Master  their  salutations  with  a 
ghastly  smile,  which  reminded  him  of  the  meeting  betwixt 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  259 

Macbeth  and  the  witches  on  the  blasted  heath  of  Forres.  He 
gave  them  some  money,  and  recommended  to  them  the  charge 
of  the  dead  body  of  their  contemporary,  an  office  which  they 
willingly  undertook ;  intimating  to  him  at  the  same  time  that 
he  must  leave  the  hut,  in  order  that  they  might  begin  their 
mournful  duties.  Eavenswood  readily  agreed  to  depart,  only 
tarrying  to  recommend  to  them  due  attention  to  the  body,  and 
to  receive  information  where  he  was  to  find  the  sexton,  or 
beadle,  who  had  in  charge  the  deserted  churchyard  of  the 
Armitage,  in  order  to  prepare  matters  for  the  reception  of  Old 
Alice  in  the  place  of  repose  which  she  had  selected  for  herself. 

"  Ye'll  no  be  pinched  to  find  out  Johnie  Mortsheugh,"  said 
the  elder  sibyl,  and  still  her  withered  cheek  bore  a  grisly 
smile;  "he  dwells  near  the  Tod's  Hole,  an  house  of  entertain- 
ment where  there  has  been  mony  a  blythe  birling,  for  death 
and  drink-draining  are  near  neighbours  to  ane  anither." 

"Ay!  and  that's  e'en  true,  cummer,"  said  the  lame  hag, 
propping  herself  with  a  crutch  which  supported  the  shortness 
of  her  left  leg,  "  for  I  mind  when  the  father  of  this  Master 
of  Eavenswood  that  is  now  standing  before  us  sticked  young 
Blackball  with  his  whinger,  for  a  wrang  word  said  ower  their 
wine,  or  brandy,  or  what  not :  he  gaed  in  as  light  as  a  lark, 
and  he  came  out  wi'  his  feet  foremost.  I  was  at  the  winding 
of  the  corpse;  and  when  the  bluid  was  washed  off,  he  was  a 
bonny  bouk  of  man's  body." 

It  may  be  easily  believed  that  this  ill-timed  anecdote  hast- 
ened the  Master's  purpose  of  quitting  a  company  so  evil- 
omened  and  so  odious.  Yet,  while  walking  to  the  tree  to 
which  his  horse  was  tied,  and  busyiug  himself  with  adjusting 
the  girhts  of  the  saddle,  he  could  not  avoid  hearing,  through 
the  hedge  of  the  little  garden,  a  conversation  respecting  him- 
self, betwixt  the  lame  woman  and  the  octogenarian  sibyl. 
The  pair  had  hobbled  into  the  garden  to  gather  rosemary, 
southernwood,  rue,  and  other  plants  proper  to  be  strewed  upon 
the  body,  and  burned  by  way  of  fumigation  in  the  chimney 
of  the  cottage.  The  paralytic  wretch,  almost  exhausted  by 
the  journey,  was  left  guard  upon  the  corpse,  lest  witches  or 
fiends  might  play  their  sport  with  it. 


260  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

The  following  low,  croaking  dialogue  was  necessarily  over- 
heard by  the  Master  of  Kavenswood : 

"That's  a  fresh  and  full-grown  hemlock,  Annie  Winnie; 
mony  a  cummer  lang  syne  wad  hae  sought  nae  better  horse  to 
flee  over  hill  and  how,  through  mist  and  moonlight,  and  light 
down  in  the  King  of  France's  cellar." 

"  Ay,  cummer !  but  the  very  deil  has  turned  as  hard-hearted 
now  as  the  Lord  Keeper  and  the  grit  folk,  that  hae  breasts  like 
whinstane.  They  prick  us  and  they  pine  us,  and  they  pit  us 
on  the  pinny  winkles  for  witches;  and,  if  I  say  my  prayers 
backwards  ten  times  ower,  S-atan  will  never  gie  me  amends  o' 
them." 

"Did  ye  ever  see  the  foul  thief?"  asked  her  neighbour. 

"Na!"  replied  the  other  spokeswoman;  "but  I  trow  I  hae 
dreamed  of  him  mony  a  time,  and  I  think  the  day  will  come 
they  will  burn  me  for't.  But  ne'er  mind,  cummer!  we  hae 
this  dollar  of  the  Master's,  and  we'll  send  doun  for  bread  and 
for  yill,  and  tobacco,  and  a  drap  brandy  to  burn,  and  a  wee 
pickle  saft  sugar;  and  be  there  deil,  or  nae  deil,  lass,  we'll 
hae  a  merry  night  o't." 

Here  her  leathern  chops  uttered  a  sort  of  cackling,  ghastly 
laugh,  resembling,  to  a  certain  degree,  the  cry  of  the  screech- 
owl. 

"He's  a  frank  man,  and  a  free-handed  man,  the  Master," 
said  Annie  Winnie,  "  and  a  comely  personage — broad  in  the 
shouthers,  and  narrow  around  the  limyies.  He  Avad  mak  a 
bonny  corpse ;  I  wad  like  to  hae  the  streiking  and  winding  o' 
him." 

"It  is  written  on  his  brow,  Annie  Winnie,"  returned  the 
octogenarian,  her  companion,  "  that  hand  of  woman,  or  of  man 
either,  will  never  straught  him :  dead- deal  will  never  be  laid 
on  his  back,  make  you  your  market  of  that,  for  I  hae  it  frae 
a  sure  hand." 

"  Will  it  be  his  lot  to  die  on  the  battle-ground  then,  Ailsie 
Gourlay?  Will  he  die  by  the  sword  or  the  ball,  as  his  forbears 
had  dune  before  him,  mony  ane  o'  them?" 

"  Ask  nae  mair  questions  about  it — he'll  no  be  graced  sae 
far,"  replied  the  sage. 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  261 

"  I  ken  ye  are  wiser  than  ither  folk,  Ailsie  Gourlay.  But 
wha  teird  ye  this?" 

"Fashna  your  thumb  about  that,  Annie  Winnie,"  answered 
the  sibyl,  "  I  hae  it  f rae  a  hand  sure  eneugh. " 

"  But  ye  said  ye  never  saw  the  foul  thief, "  reiterated  her 
inquisitive  companion. 

"  I  hae  it  f rae  as  sure  a  hand, "  said  Ailsie,  "  and  f rae  them 
that  spaed  his  fortune  before  the  sark  gaed  ower  his  head." 

"Hark!  I  hear  his  horse's  feet  riding  aff,"  said  the  other; 
"they  dinna  sound  as  if  good  luck  was  wi'  them." 

"  Mak  haste,  sirs, "  cried  the  paralytic  hag  from  the  cottage, 
"  and  let  us  do  what  is  needfu',  and  say  what  is  fitting ;  for, 
if  the  dead  corpse  binna  straughted,  it  will  girn  and  thraw, 
and  that  will  fear  the  best  o'  us." 

Ravenswood  was  now  out  of  hearing.  He  despised  most  of 
the  ordinary  prejudices  about  witchcraft,  omens,  and  vaticina- 
tion, to  which  his  age  and  country  still  gave  such  implicit 
credit  that  to  express  a  doubt  of  them  was  accounted  a  crime 
equal  to  the  unbelief  of  Jews  or  Saracens ;  he  knew  also  that 
the  prevailing  belief,  concerning  witches,  operating  upon  the 
hypochondriac  habits  of  those  whom  age,  infirmity,  and  pov- 
erty rendered  liable  to  suspicion,  and  enforced  by  the  fear 
of  death  and  the  pangs  of  the  most  cruel  tortures,  often  ex- 
torted those  confessions  which  encumber  and  disgrace  the 
criminal  records  of  Scotland  durmg  the  17tli  century.  But 
the  vision  of  that  morning,  whether  real  or  imaginary,  had 
impressed  his  mind  with  a  superstitious  feeling  which  he  in 
vain  endeavoured  to  shake  off.  The  nature  of  the  business 
which  awaited  him  at  the  little  inn,  called  Tod's  Hole,  where 
he  soon  after  arrived,  was  not  of  a  kind  to  restore  his  spirits. 

It  was  necessary  he  should  see  Mortsheugh,  the  sexton  of 
the  old  burial-ground  at  Armitage,  to  arrange  matters  for  the 
funeral  of  Alice ;  and,  as  the  man  dwelt  near  the  place  of  her 
late  residence,  the  Master,  after  a  slight  refreshment,  walked 
towards  the  place  where  the  body  of  Alice  was  to  be  deposited. 
It  was  situated  in  the  nook  formed  by  the  eddying  sweep  of  a 
stream,  which  issued  from  the  adjoining  hills.  A  rude  cavern 
in  an  adjacent  rock,  which,  in  the  interior,  was  cut  into  the 


262  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

shape  of  a  cross,  formed  tlie  hermitage,  where  some  Saxon 
saint  had  in  ancient  times  done  penance,  and  given  name  to 
the  place.  The  rich  Abbey  of  Coldiughame  had,  in  latter 
days,  established  a  chapel  in  the  neighbourhood,  of  which 
no  vestige  was  now  visible,  though  the  churchyard  which 
surrounded  it  was  still,  as  upon  the  present  occasion,  used 
for  the  interment  of  particular  persons.  One  or  two  shattered 
yew-trees  still  grew  within  the  precincts  of  that  which  had 
once  been  holy  ground.  Warriors  and  barons  had  been  buried 
there  of  old,  but  their  names  were  forgotten,  and  their  monu- 
ments demolished.  The  only  sepulchral  memorials  which  re- 
mained were  the  upright  headstones  which  mark  the  graves  of 
persons  of  inferior  rank.  The  abode  of  the  sexton  was  a  soli- 
tary cottage  adjacent  to  the  ruined  wall  of  the  cemetery,  but 
so  low  that,  with  its  thatch,  which  nearly  reached  the  ground, 
covered  with  a  thick  crop  of  grass,  fog,  and  house-leeks,  it 
resembled  an  overgrown  grave.  On  inquiry,  however,  Ka- 
venswood  found  that  the  man  of  the  last  mattock  was  absent 
at  a  bridal,  being  fiddler  as  well  as  grave-digger  to  the  vicin- 
ity. He  therefore  retired  to  the  little  inn,  leaving  a  message 
that  early  next  morning  he  would  again  call  for  the  person 
whose  double  occupation  connected  him  at  once  with  the  house 
of  mourning  and  the  house  of  feasting. 

An  outrider  of  the  Marquis  arrived  at  Tod's  Hole  shortly 
after,  with  a  message,  intimating  that  his  master  would  join 
Ravenswood  at  that  place  on  the  following  morning ;  and  the 
Master,  who  would  otherwise  have  proceeded  to  his  old  retreat 
at  Wolf's  Crag,  remained  there  accordmgly  to  give  meeting 
to  his  noble  kinsman. 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  263 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

Hamlet.   Has  this  fellow  no  feeling  of  his  business?  he  sings  at  grave- 
making. 

Horatio.  Custom  hath  made  it  in  him  a  property  of  easiness. 

Hamlet.  'Tis  e'en  so :  the  hand  of  little  employment  hath  the  daintier 
sense. 

Hamlet,  Act  V.  Scene  1. 

The  sleep  of  Ravenswood  was  broken  by  ghastly  and  agi- 
tating visions,  and  his  waking  intervals  disturbed  by  melan- 
choly reflections  on  the  past  and  painful  anticipations  of  the 
future.  He  was  perhaps  the  only  traveller  who  ever  slept  in 
that  miserable  kennel  without  complaining  of  his  lodgings,  or 
feeling  inconvenience  from  their  deficiencies.  It  is  when  ''  the 
mind  is  free  the  body's  delicate."  Morning,  however,  found 
the  Master  an  early  riser,  in  hopes  that  the  fresh  air  of  the 
dawn  might  afford  the  refreshment  which  night  had  refused 
him.  He  took  his  way  towards  the  solitary  burial-ground, 
which  lay  about  half  a  mile  from  the  inn. 

The  thin  blue  smoke,  which  already  began  to  curl  upward, 
and  to  distinguish  the  cottage  of  the  living  from  the  habita- 
tion of  the  dead,  apprised  him  that  its  inmate  had  returned 
and  was  stirring.  Accordingly,  on  entering  the  little  church- 
yard, he  saw  the  old  man  labouring  in  a  half -made  grave. 
"  My  destiny, "  thought  Ravenswood,  "  seems  to  lead  me  to 
scenes  of  fate  and  of  death;  but  these  are  childish  thoughts, 
and  they  shall  not  master  me.  I  will  not  again  suffer  my 
imagination  to  beguile  my  senses."  The  old  man  rested  on  his 
spade  as  the  Master  approached  him,  as  if  to  receive  his  com- 
mands; and  as  he  did  not  immediately  speak,  the  sexton 
opened  the  discourse  in  his  own  way. 

"Ye  will  be  a  wedding  customer,  sir,  I'se  warrant?" 

"  What  makes  you  think  so,  friend?"  replied  the  Master. 

"  I  live  by  twa  trades,  sir, "  replied  the  blythe  old  man — 
•'fiddle,  sir,  and  spade;  filling  the  world,  and  emptying  of 
it ;  and  I  suld  ken  baith  cast  of  customers  by  head-mark  in 
thirty  years'  practice." 


264  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

"  You  are  mistaken,  however,  this  morning, "  replied  Ra- 
venswood. 

"Am  I?"  said  the  old  man,  looking  keenly  at  him,  "troth 
and  it  may  be;  since,  for  as  brent  as  your  brow  is,  there  is 
something  sitting  upon  it  this  day  that  is  as  near  akin  to 
death  as  to  wedlock.  Weel — weel;  the  pick  and  shovel  are 
as  ready  to  your  order  as  bow  and  fiddle." 

"  I  wish  you, "  said  Ravenswood,  "  to  look  after  the  decent 
interment  of  an  old  woman,  Alice  Gray,  who  lived  at  the 
Craigfoot  in  Ravenswood  Park." 

"Alice  Gray! — blind  Alice!"  said  the  sexton;  "and  is  she 
gane  at  last?  that's  another  jow  of  the  bell  to  bid  me  be  ready. 
I  mind  when  Habbie  Gray  brought  her  down  to  this  land ;  a 
likely  lass  she  was  then,  and  looked  ower  her  southland  nose 
at  us  a'.  I  trow  her  pride  got  a  downcome.  And  is  she 
e'en  gane?" 

"She  died  yesterday,"  said  Ravenswood;  " and  desired  to 
be  buried  here  beside  her  husband;  you  know  where  he  lies, 
no  doubt?" 

"Ken  where  he  lies!"  answered  the  sexton,  with  national 
indirection  of  response.  "  I  ken  whar  a' body  lies,  that  lies 
here.  But  ye  were  speaking  o'  her  grave?  Lord  help  us,  it's 
no  an  ordinar  grave  that  will  hand  her  in,  if  a's  true  that  folk 
said  of  Alice  in  her  auld  days ;  and  if  I  gae  to  six  feet  deep — 
and  a  warlock's  grave  shouldna  be  an  inch  mair  ebb,  or  her 
ain  witch  cummers  would  soon  whirl  her  out  of  her  shroud  for 
a'  their  auld  acquaintance — and  be't  six  feet,  or  be't  three, 
wha's  to  pay  the  making  o't,  I  pray  ye?" 

"I  will  pay  that,  my  friend,  and  all  other  reasonable 
charges." 

"  Reasonable  charges !"  said  the  sexton ;  "  ou,  there's  grund- 
mail — and  bell-siller,  though  the  bell's  broken,  nae  doubt — 
and  the  kist — and  my  day's  wark — and  my  bit  fee — and  some 
brandy  and  yill  to  the  dirgie,  I  am  no  thinking  that  you  can 
inter  her,  to  ca'  decently,  under  saxteen  pund  Scots." 

"  There  is  the  money,  my  friend, "  said  Ravenswood,  "  and 
something  over.     Be  sure  you  know  the  grave. " 

"  Ye'll  be  ane  o'  her  English  relations,  I'se  warrant,"  said 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  265 

the  hoary  man  of  skulls;  "I  hae  heard  she  married  far  below 
her  station.  It  was  very  right  to  let  her  bite  on  the  bridle 
when  she  was  living,  and  it's  very  right  to  gie  her  a  decent 
burial  now  she's  dead,  for  that's  a  matter  o'  credit  to  yoursell 
rather  than  to  her.  Folk  may  let  their  kindred  shift  for  them- 
sells  when  they  are  alive,  and  can  bear  the  burden  of  their  ain 
misdoings;  but  it's  an  unnatural  thing  to  let  them  be  buried 
like  dogs,  when  a'  the  discredit  gangs  to  the  kindred,  AVhat 
kens  the  dead  corpse  about  it?" 

"  You  would  not  have  people  neglect  their  relations  on  a 
bridal  occasion  neither?"  said  E-avenswood,  who  was  amused 
with  the  professional  limitation  of  the  grave-digger's  philan- 
thropy. 

The  old  man  cast  up  his  sharp  grey  eyes  with  a  shrewd 
smile,  as  if  he  understood  the  jest,  but  instantly  continued, 
with  his  former  gravity :  "  Bridals — wha  wad  neglect  bridals 
that  had  ony  regard  for  plenishing  the  earth?  To  be  sure, 
they  suld  be  celebrated  with  all  manner  of  good  cheer,  and 
meeting  of  friends,  and  musical  instruments — harp,  sackbut, 
and  psaltery ;  or  gude  fiddle  and  pipes,  when  these  auld-warld 
instruments  of  melody  are  hard  to  be  compassed." 

"  The  presence  of  the  fiddle,  I  dare  say,"  replied  Ravens- 
wood,  "would  atone  for  the  absence  of  all  the  others." 

The  sexton  again  looked  sharply  up  at  him,  as  he  answered : 
"  Nae  doubt — nae  doubt,  if  it  were  weel  played ;  but  yonder, " 
he  said,  as  if  to  change  the  discourse,  "  is  Halbert  Gray's  lang 
hame,  that  ye  were  speering  after,  just  the  third  bourock  be- 
yond the  muckle  through-stane  that  stands  on  sax  legs  yon- 
der, abune  some  ane  of  the  Ravenswoods ;  for  there  is  mony 
of  their  kin  and  followers  here,  deil  lift  them !  though  it  isna 
just  their  main  burial-place." 

"They  are  no  favourites,  then,  of  yours,  these  Ravens- 
woods?"  said  the  Master,  not  much  pleased  with  the  passing 
benediction  which  was  thus  bestowed  on  his  family  and  name. 

"I  kenna  wha  should  favour  them,"  said  the  grave-digger; 
"when  they  had  lands  and  power,  they  were  ill  guides  of 
them  baith,  and  now  their  head's  down,  there's  few  care  how 
lang  they  may  be  of  lifting  it  again." 


266  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

"Indeed!"  said  Ravenswood;  "  I  never  heard  that  this  un- 
happy family  deserved  ill-will  at  the  hands  of  their  country. 
I  grant  their  poverty,  if  that  renders  them  contemptible." 

"It  will  gang  a  far  way  till't,"  said  the  sexton  of  Hermit- 
age, "  ye  may  tak  my  word  for  that ;  at  least,  I  ken  naething 
else  that  suld  mak  myself  contemptible,  and  folk  are  far  frae 
respecting  me  as  they  wad  do  if  I  lived  in  a  twa-lof  ted  sclated 
house.  But  as  for  the  Raven swoods,  I  hae  seen  three  gener- 
ations of  them,  and  deil  ane  to  mend  other." 

"  I  thought  they  had  enjoyed  a  fair  character  in  the  country, " 
said  their  descendant. 

"  Character !  Ou,  ye  see,  sir, "  said  the  sexton,  "  as  for  the 
auld  gudesire  body  of  a  lord,  I  lived  on  his  land  when  I  was 
a  swanking  young  chield,  and  could  hae  blawn  the  trumpet 
wi'  ony  body,  for  I  had  wmd  eneugh  then ;  and  touching  this 
trumpeter  Marine  ^  that  I  have  heard  play  afore  the  lords  of 
the  circuit,  I  wad  hae  made  nae  mair  o'  him  than  of  a  bairn 
and  a  bawbee  whistle.  I  defy  him  to  hae  played  'Boot  and 
saddle, '  or  '  Horse  and  away, '  or  '  Gallants,  come  trot, '  with 
me;  he  hadna  the  tones." 

"  But  what  is  all  this  to  old  Lord  Ravenswood,  my  friend?" 
said  the  Master,  who,  with  an  anxiety  not  unnatural  in  his 
circumstances,  was  desirous  of  prosecuting  the  musician's  first 
topic — "  what  had  his  memory  to  do  with  the  degeneracy  of 
the  trumpet  music?" 

"  Just  this,  sir, "  answered  the  sexton,  "  that  I  lost  my  wind 
in  his  service.  Ye  see  I  Avas  trumpeter  at  the  castle,  and  had 
allowance  for  blawing  at  break  of  day,  and  at  dinner  time, 
and  other  whiles  when  there  was  companj'  about,  and  it  pleased 
my  lord ;  and  when  he  raised  his  militia  to  caper  awa'  to  Both- 
well  Brig  against  the  wrang-headed  westland  Whigs,  I  be- 
hoved, reason  or  nane,  to  munt  a  horse  and  caper  awa'  wi' 
them." 

"  And  very  reasonable, "  said  Ravenswood ;  "  you  were  his 
servant  and  vassal." 

"  Servitor,  say  ye?"  replied  the  sexton,  "and  so  I  was;  but 
it  was  to  blaw  folk  to  their  warm  dinner,  or  at  the  warst  to  a 

^  See  Note  10. 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  267 

decent  kirkyard,  and  no  to  skirl  them  awa'  to  a  bluidy  brae- 
side,  where  there  was  deil  a  bedral  but  the  hooded  craw.  But 
bide  ye,  ye  shall  hear  what  cam  o't,  and  how  far  I  am  bund 
to  be  bedesman  to  the  Ravenswoods.  TilPt,  ye  see,  we  gaed 
on  a  braw  simmer  morning,  twenty-fourth  of  June,  saxteen 
hundred  and  se'enty-nine,  of  a'  the  days  of  the  month  and 
year — drums  beat,  guns  rattled,  horses  kicked  and  trampled. 
Hackstoun  of  Rathillet  keepit  the  brig  wi'  musket  and  cara- 
bine and  pike,  sword  and  scythe  for  what  I  ken,  and  we  horse- 
men were  ordered  down  to  cross  at  the  ford, — I  hate  fords  at 
a'  times,  let  abee  when  there's  thousands  of  armed  men  on  the 
other  side.  There  was  auld  Ravenswood  brandishing  his  An- 
drew Ferrara  at  the  head,  and  crying  to  us  to  come  and  buckle 
to,  as  if  we  had  been  gaun  to  a  fair ;  there  was  Caleb  Balder- 
stone,  that  is  living  yet,  flourishing  in  the  rear,  and  swearing 
Gog  and  Magog,  he  would  put  steel  through  the  guts  of  ony 
man  that  turned  bridle ;  there  was  young  Allan  Ravenswood, 
that  was  then  Master,  wi'  a  bended  pistol  in  his  hand — it  was 
a  mercy  it  gaed  na  aff ! — crying  to  me,  that  had  scarce  as  much 
wind  left  as  serve  the  necessary  purpose  of  my  ain  lungs, 
'Sound,  you  poltroon! — somid,  you  damned  cowardly  villain,  or 
I  will  blow  your  brains  out!'  and,  to  be  sure,  I  blew  sic  points 
of  war  that  the  scraugh  of  a  clockin-hen  was  music  to  them." 

"Well,  sir,  cut  all  this  short,"  said  Ravenswood. 

"  Short !  I  had  like  to  hae  been  cut  short  mysell,  in  the 
flower  of  my  youth,  as  Scripture  says;  and  that's  the  very 
thing  that  I  compleen  o'.  Weel!  in  to  the  water  we  behoved 
a'  to  splash,  heels  ower  head,  sit  or  fa' — ae  horse  driving  on 
anither,  as  is  the  way  of  brute  beasts,  and  riders  that  hae  as 
little  sense ;  the  very  bushes  on  the  ither  side  were  ableeze  wi' 
the  flashes  of  the  Whig  guns ;  and  my  horse  had  just  taen  the 
grund,  when  a  blackavised  westland  carle — I  wad  mind  the 
face  o'  him  a  hundred  years  yet — an  ee  like  a  wild  falcon's, 
and  a  beard  as  broad  as  my  shovel — clapped  the  end  o'  his 
lang  black  gun  within  a  quarter's  length  of  my  lug!  By  the 
grace  o'  Mercy,  the  horse  swarved  round,  and  I  fell  aff  at 
the  tae  side  as  the  ball  whistled  by  at  the  tither,  and  the  fell 
auld  lord  took  the  Whig  such  a  swauk  wi'  his  broadsword  that 


268  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

he  made  twa  pieces  o'  his  head,  and  down  fell  the  lurdane  wi' 
a'  his  bouk  abune  me." 

"You  were  rather  obliged  to  the  old  lord,  I  think,"  said 
Ravenswood. 

"Was  I?  my  sartie!  first  for  bringing  me  into  jeopardy, 
would  I  nould  I,  and  then  for  whomling  a  chield  on  the  tap 
o'  me  that  dang  the  very  wind  out  of  my  body?  I  hae  been 
short-breathed  ever  since,  and  canna  gang  twenty  yards  with- 
out peghing  like  a  miller's  aiver." 

"You  lost,  then,  your  place  as  trumpeter?"  said  Ravens- 
wood. 

"  Lost  it !  to  be  sure  I  lost  it, "  replied  the  sexton,  "  for  I 
couldna  hae  played  pew  upon  a  dry  humlock ;  but  I  might  hae 
dune  weel  eneugh,  for  I  keepit  the  wage  and  the  free  house, 
and  little  to  do  but  play  on  the  fiddle  to  them,  but  for  Allan, 
last  Lord  Ravenswood,  that  was  far  waur  than  ever  his  fa- 
ther was." 

"  What, "  said  the  Master,  "  did  my  father — I  mean,  did  his 
father's  son — this  last  Lord  Ravenswood,  deprive  you  of  what 
the  bounty  of  his  father  allowed  you?" 

"Ay,  troth  did  he,"  answered  the  old  man;  "for  he  loot 
his  affairs  gang  to  the  dogs,  and  let  in  this  Sir  William  Ash- 
ton  on  us,  that  will  gie  naething  for  naething,  and  just  re- 
moved me  and  a'  the  puir  creatures  that  had  bite  and  soup  at 
the  castle,  and  a  hole  to  put  our  heads  in,  when  things  were 
in  the  auld  way." 

"If  Lord  Ravenswood  protected  his  people,  my  friend, 
while  he  had  the  means  of  doing  so,  I  think  they  might  spare 
his  memory,"  replied  the  Master. 

"  Ye  are  welcome  to  your  ain  opinion,  sir, "  said  the  sexton ; 
"  but  ye  winna  persuade  me  that  he  did  his  duty,  either  to 
himsell  or  to  huz  puir  dependent  creatures,  in  guiding  us  the 
gate  he  has  done ;  he  might  hae  gien  us  life-rent  tacks  of  our 
bits  o'  houses  and  yards;  and  me,  that's  an  auld  man,  living 
in  yon  miserable  cabin,  that's  fitter  for  the  dead  than  the 
quick,  and  killed  wi'  rheumatise,  and  John  Smith  in  my 
dainty  bit  mailing,  and  his  window  glazen,  and  a'  because 
Ravenswood  guided  his  gear  like  a  fule!" 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR  ^6d 

"It  is  but  too  true,"  said  Ravenswood,  conscience-struck; 
"  the  penalties  of  extravagance  extend  far  beyond  the  prodi- 
gal's own  sufferings." 

"However/'  said  the  sexton,  "this  young  man  Edgar  is 
like  to  avenge  my  wrangs  on  the  haill  of  his  kindred. " 

"  Indeed?"  said  Ravenswood ;  "  why  should  you  suppose  so?" 

"They  say ^ he  is  about  to  marry  the  daughter  of  Leddy 
Ashton ;  and  let  her  leddyship  get  his  head  ance  under  her 
oxter,  and  see  you  if  she  winna  gie  his  neck  a  thraw.  Sorra 
a  bit,  if  I  were  him!  Let  her  alane  for  handing  a' thing  in 
het  water  that  draws  near  her.  Sae  the  warst  wish  I  shall 
wish  the  lad  is,  that  he  may  take  his  am  creditable  gate  o't, 
and  ally  himsell  wi'  his  father's  enemies,  that  have  taken  his 
broad  lands  and  my  bonny  kail-yard  from  the  lawful  owners 
thereof." 

Cervantes  acutely  remarks,  that  flattery  is  pleasing  even 
from  the  mouth  of  a  madman ;  and  censure,  as  well  as  praise, 
often  affects  us,  while  we  despise  the  opinions  and  motives  on 
which  it  is  founded  and  expressed.  Ravenswood,  abruptly 
reiterating  his  command  that  Alice's  funeral  should  be  at- 
tended to,  flung  away  from  the  sexton,  under  the  painful  im- 
pression that  the  great  as  well  as  the  small  vulgar  would  think 
of  his  engagement  with  Lucy  like  this  ignorant  and  selfish 
peasant. 

"And  I  have  stooped  to  subject  myself  to  these  calumnies, 
and  am  rejected  notwithstanding!  Lucy,  your  faith  must  be 
true  and  perfect  as  the  diamond  to  compensate  for  the  dishon- 
our which  men's  opinions,  and  the  conduct  of  your  mother, 
attach  to  the  heir  of  Ravenswood!" 

As   he  raised  his  eyes,  he  beheld  the  Marquis  of  A , 

who,  having  arrived  at  the  Tod's  Hole,  had  walked  forth  to 
look  for  his  kinsman. 

After  mutual  greetings,  he  made  some  apology  to  the  Mas- 
ter for  not  coming  forward  on  the  preceding  evening.  "  It  was 
his  wish, "  he  said,  "  to  have  done  so,  but  he  had  come  to  the 
knowledge  of  some  matters  which  induced  him  to  delay  his 
purpose.  I  find,"  he  proceeded,  "there  has  been  a  love  affair 
here,  kinsman ;  and  though  I  might  blame  you  for  not  having 


270  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

communicated  with  me,  as  being  in  some  degree  the  chief  of 
your  family " 

"With  your  lordship's  permission,"  said  Eavenswood,  "I 
am  deeply  grateful  for  the  interest  you  are  pleased  to  take 
in  me,  but  1  am  the  chief  and  head  of  my  family." 

"  I  know  it — I  know  it, "  said  the  Marquis ;  "  in  a  strict 
heraldic  and  genealogical  sense,  you  certainly  are  so;  what 
I  mean  is,  that  being  in  some  measure  under  my  guardian- 
ship  " 

"  I  must  take  the  liberty  to  say,  my  lord "  answered 

Ravens  wood,  and  the  tone  in  which  he  interrupted  the  Mar- 
quis boded  no  long  duration  to  the  friendship  of  the  noble 
relatives,  when  he  himself  was  interrupted  by  the  little  sex- 
ton, who  came  puffing  after  them,  to  ask  if  their  honours 
would  choose  music  at  the  change-house  to  make  up  for  short 
cheer. 

"We  want  no  music,"  said  the  Master,  abruptly. 

"Your  honour  disna  ken  what  ye're  refusing,  then,"  said 
the  fiddler,  with  the  impertinent  freedom  of  his  profession. 
"I  can  play,  'Wilt  thou  do't  again,'  and  'The  Auld  Man's 
Mear's  Dead,'  sax  times  better  than  ever  Patie  Birnie.'  I'll 
get  my  fiddle  in  the  turning  of  a  coffin-screw." 

"Take  yourself  away,  sir,"  said  the  Marquis. 

"  And  if  your  honour  be  a  north-country  gentleman, "  said 
the  persevering  minstrel,  "whilk  I  wad  judge  from  your 
tongue,  I  can  play  'Liggeram  Cosh,'  and  'Mullin  Dhu, '  and 
'  The  Cummers  of  Athole. '  " 

"  Take  yourself  away,  friend ;  you  interrupt  our  conversa- 
tion." 

"  Or  if,  under  your  honour's  favour,  ye  should  happen  to 
be  a  thought  honest,  I  can  play  (this  in  a  low  and  confiden- 
tial tone)  'Killiecrankie, '  and  'The  King  shall  hae  his  ain,' 
and  'The  Auld  Stuarts  back  again';  and  the  wife  at  the 
change-house  is  a  decent,  discreet  body,  neither  kens  nor  cares 
what  toasts  are  drucken,  and  what  tunes  are  played,  in  her 
house:  she's  deaf  to  a' thing  but  the  clink  o'  the  siller." 

>  A  celebrated  fiddler  and  songster  of  Kinghorn.  See  Allan  Ramsay's 
Collected  Poems,  ed.  1721  {Laing). 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  271 

The  Marquis,  who  was  sometimes  suspected  of  Jacobitism, 
could  not  help  laughing  as  he  threw  the  fellow  a  dollar,  and 
bid  him  go  play  to  the  servants  if  he  had  a  mind,  and  leave 
them  at  peace. 

'' Aweel,  gentlemen,"  said  he,  "I  am  wishing  your  honours 
gude  day.  I'll  be  a'  the  better  of  the  dollar,  and  ye'll  be  the 
waur  of  wanting  music,  I'se  tell  ye.  But  I'se  gang  hame, 
and  finish  the  grave  in  the  tuning  o'  a  fiddle-string,  lay  by 
my  spade,  and  then  get  my  tother  bread-winner,  and  awa'  to 
your  folk,  and  see  if  they  hae  better  lugs  than  their  masters." 


CHAPTER    XXV. 

True  love,  an  thou  be  true, 

Thou  has  ane  kittle  part  to  play  ; 
For  fortune,  fashion,  fancy,  and  thou, 

Maun  strive  for  many  a  day. 

I've  kend  by  mony  a  friend's  tale. 

Far  better  by  this  heart  of  mine, 
What  time  and  change  of  fancy  avail 

A  true-love  knot  to  untwine. 

Hendersoun. 

"I  WISHED  to  tell  you,  my  good  kinsman,"  said  the  Mar- 
quis, "  now  that  we  are  quit  of  that  impertinent  fiddler,  that 
I  had  tried  to  discuss  this  love  affair  of  yours  with  Sir  Wil- 
liam Ashton's  daughter.  I  never  saw  the  young  lady  but  for 
a  few  minutes  to-day ;  so,  being  a  stranger  to  her  personal 
merits,  I  pay  a  compliment  to  you,  and  offer  her  no  offence, 
in  saying  you  might  do  better. " 

•'  My  lord,  I  am  much  indebted  for  the  interest  you  have 
taken  in  my  affairs, "  said  Eavenswood.  "  I  did  not  intend 
to  have  troubled  you  in  any  matter  concerning  Miss  Ashton. 
As  my  engagement  with  that  young  lady  has  reached  your 
lordship,  I  can  only  say,  that  you  must  necessarily  suppose 
that  I  was  aware  of  the  objections  to  my  marrying  into  her 
father's  family,  and  of  course  must  have  been  completely  sat- 
isfied with  the  reasons  by  which  these  objections  are  overbal- 
anced, since  I  have  proceeded  so  far  in  the  matter. " 


272  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

"Nay,  Master,  if  you  had  heard  me  out,"  said  his  noble 
relation,  "you  might  have  spared  that  observation;  for,  with- 
out questioning  that  you  had  reasons  which  seemed  to  you  to 
counterbalance  every  other  obstacle,  I  set  myself,  by  every 
means  that  it  became  me  to  use  towards  the  Ashtons,  to  per- 
suade them  to  meet  your  views." 

"  I  am  obliged  to  your  lordship  for  your  unsolicited  inter- 
cession, "  said  Ravenswood ;  "  especially  as  I  am  sure  your 
lordship  would  never  carry  it  beyond  the  bounds  which  it  be- 
came me  to  use." 

"Of  that,"  said  the  Marquis,  "you  may  be  confident;  I 
myself  felt  the  delicacy  of  the  matter  too  much  to  place  a 
gentleman  nearly  connected  with  my  house  in  a  degrading  or 
dubious  situation  with  these  Ashtons.  But  I  pointed  out  all 
the  advantages  of  their  marrying  their  daughter  into  a  house 
so  honourable,  and  so  nearly  related  with  the  first  in  Scot- 
land; I  explained  the  exact  degree  of  relationship  in  which 
the  Ravenswoods  stand  to  ourselves ;  and  I  even  hinted  how 
political  matters  were  like  to  turn,  and  what  cards  would  be 
trumps  next  Parliament.  I  said  I  regarded  you  as  a  son — or 
a  nephew,  or  so — rather  than  as  a  more  distant  relation ;  and 
that  I  made  your  affair  entirely  my  own." 

"And  what  was  the  issue  of  your  lordship's  explanation?" 
said  Ravenswood,  in  some  doubt  whether  he  should  resent  or 
express  gratitude  for  his  interference. 

"Why,  the  Lord  Keeper  would  have  listened  to  reason," 
said  the  Marquis ;  "  he  is  rather  unwilling  to  leave  his  place, 
which,  in  the  present  view  of  a  change,  must  be  vacated ;  and, 
to  say  truth,  he  seemed  to  have  a  liking  for  you,  and  to  be 
sensible  of  the  general  advantages  to  be  attained  by  such 
a  match.  But  his  lady,  who  is  tongue  of  the  trump,  Mas- 
ter  " 

"What  of  Lady  Ashton,  my  lord?"  said  Ravenswood;  "let 
me  know  the  issue  of  this  extraordinary  conference:  I  can 
bear  it." 

"  I  am  glad  of  that,  kinsman,"  said  the  Marquis,  "  for  I  am 
ashamed  to  tell  you  half  what  she  said.  It  is  enough — her 
mind  is  made  up,  and  the  mistress  of  a  first-rate  boarding- 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  273 

fecliool  could  not  have  rejected  with  more  haughty  indiffer- 
ence the  suit  of  a  half -pay  Irish  officer,  beseeching  permis- 
sion to  wait  upon  the  heiress  of  a  West  India  planter,  than 
Lady  Ashton  spurned  every  proposal  of  mediation  which  it 
could  at  all  become  me  to  offer  in  behalf  of  you,  my  good 
kinsman.  I  cannot  guess  what  she  means.  A  more  honour- 
able connexion  she  could  not  form,  that's  certain.  As  for 
money  and  land,  that  used  to  be  her  husband's  business  rath- 
er than  hers;  I  really  think  she  hates  you  for  having  the 
rank  which  her  husband  has  not,  and  perhaps  for  not  having 
the  lands  that  her  goodman  has.  But  I  should  only  vex  you 
to  say  more  about  it — here  we  are  at  the  change-house." 

The  Master  of  Ravenswood  paused  as  he  entered  the  cot- 
tage, which  reeked  through  all  its  crevices,  and  they  were  not 
few,  from  the  exertions  of  the  Marquis's  travelling-cooks  to 
supply  good  cheer,  and  spread,  as  it  were,  a  table  in  the  wil- 
derness. 

"My  Lord  Marquis,"  said  Ravenswood,  "I  already  men- 
tioned that  accident  has  put  your  lordship  in  possession  of  a 
secret  which,  with  my  consent,  should  have  remained  one  even 
to  you,  my  kinsman,  for  some  time.  Since  the  secret  was  to 
part  from  my  own  custody,  and  that  of  the  only  person  besides 
who  was  interested  in  it,  I  am  not  sorry  it  should  have  reached 
your  lordship's  ears,  as  being  fully  aware  that  you  are  my 
noble  kinsman  and  friend." 

"  You  may  believe  it  is  safely  lodged  with  me.  Master  of 
Ravenswood,"  said  the  Marquis;  "but  I  should  like  well  to 
hear  you  say  that  you  renounced  the  idea  of  an  alliance  which 
you  can  hardly  pursue  without  a  certain  degree  of  degrada- 
tion." 

"Of  that,  my  lord,  I  shall  judge,"  answered  Ravenswood, 
"  and  I  hope  with  delicacy  as  sensitive  as  any  of  my  friends. 
But  I  have  no  engagement  with  Sir  William  and  Lady  Ashton. 
It  is  with  Miss  Ashton  alone  that  I  have  entered  upon  the 
subject,  and  my  conduct  m  the  matter  shall  be  entirely  ruled 
by  hers.  If  she  continues  to  prefer  me  in  my  poverty  to  the 
wealthier  suitors  whom  her  friends  recommend,  I  may  well 
make  some  sacrifice  to  her  sincere  affection :  I  may  well  sur- 
18 


274  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

render  to  her  the  less  tangible  and  less  palpable  advantages 
of  birth,  and  the  deep-rooted  prejudices  of  family  hatred.  If 
Miss  Lucy  Ashton  should  change  her  mind  on  a  subject  of 
such  delicacy,  I  trust  my  friends  will  be  silent  on  my  disap- 
pointment, and  I  shall  know  how  to  make  my  enemies  so." 

"  Spoke  like  a  gallant  young  nobleman, "  said  the  Marquis ; 
"  for  my  part,  I  have  that  regard  for  you,  that  I  should  be  sorry 
the  thing  went  on.  This  Sir  William  Ashton  was  a  pretty 
enough  pettifogging  kind  of  a  lawyer  twenty  years  ago,  and 
betwixt  battling  at  the  bar  and  leading  in  committees  of  Par- 
liament he  has  got  well  on ;  the  Darien  matter  lent  him  a  lift, 
for  he  had  good  intelligence  and  sound  views,  and  sold  out  in 
time;  but  the  best  work  is  had  out  of  him.  Ko  government 
will  take  him  at  his  own,  or  rather  his  wife's  extravagant, 
valuation ;  and  betwixt  his  indecision  and  her  insolence,  from 
all  I  can  guess,  he  will  outsit  his  market,  and  be  had  cheap 
when  no  one  will  bid  for  him.  I  say  nothing  of  Miss  Ashton ; 
but  I  assure  you,  a  connexion  with  her  father  will  be  neither 
useful  nor  ornamental,  beyond  that  part  of  your  father's  spoils 
which  he  may  be  prevailed  upon  to  disgorge  by  way  of  tocher- 
good  ;  and  take  my  word  for  it,  you  will  get  more  if  you  have 
spirit  to  bell  the  cat  with  him  in  the  House  of  Peers.  And  I 
will  be  the  man,  cousin, "  continued  his  lordship,  "  will  course 
the  fox  for  you,  and  make  him  rue  the  day  that  ever  he  re- 
fused a  composition  too  honourable  for  him,  and  proposed  by 
me  on  the  behalf  of  a  kinsman." 

There  was  something  in  all  this  that,  as  it  were,  overshot 
the  mark.  Ravenswood  could  not  disguise  from  himself  that 
his  noble  kinsman  had  more  reasons  for  taking  offence  at  the 
reception  of  his  suit  than  regarded  his  interest  and  honour, 
yet  he  could  neither  complain  nor  be  surprised  that  it  should 
be  so.  He  contented  himself,  therefore,  with  repeating,  that 
his  attachment  was  to  Miss  Ashton  personally;  that  he  de- 
sired neither  wealth  nor  aggrandisement  from  her  father's 
means  and  influence;  and  that  nothing  should  prevent  his 
keeping  his  engagement,  excepting  her  own  express  desire 
that  it  should  be  relinquished ;  and  he  requested  as  a  favour 
that  the  matter  might  be  no  more  mentioned  betwixt  them  at 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  275 

present,  assuring  the  Marquis  of  A that  he  should  be  his 

confidant  in  its  progress  or  its  interruption. 

The  Marquis  soon  had  more  agreeable,  as  well  as  more  in- 
teresting, subjects  on  which  to  converse.  A  foot-post,  who 
had  followed  him  from  Edinburgh  to  Ravenswood  Castle,  and 
had  traced  his  steps  to  the  Tod's  Hole,  brought  him  a  packet 
laden  with  good  news.  The  political  calculations  of  the  Mar- 
quis had  proved  just,  both  in  London  and  at  Edinburgh,  and 
he  saw  almost  within  his  grasp  the  pre-eminence  for  which 
he  had  panted.  The  refreshments  which  the  servants  had 
prepared  were  now  put  on  the  table,  and  an  epicure  would 
perhaps  have  enjoyed  them  with  additional  zest  from  the  con- 
trast which  such  fare  afforded  to  the  miserable  cabin  in  which 
it  was  served  up. 

The  turn  of  conversation  corresponded  with  and  added  to 
the  social  feelings  of  the  company.  The  Marquis  expanded 
with  pleasure  on  the  power  which  probable  incidents  were 
likely  to  assign  to  him,  and  on  the  use  which  he  hoped  to 
make  of  it  in  serving  his  kinsman  Ravenswood.  Ravenswood 
could  but  repeat  the  gratitude  which  he  really  felt,  even  when 
he  considered  the  topic  as  too  long  dwelt  upon.  The  wine 
was  excellent,  notwithstanding  its  having  been  brought  in  a 
runlet  from  Edinburgh ;  and  the  habits  of  the  Marquis,  when 
engaged  with  such  good  cheer,  were  somewhat  sedentary. 
And  so  it  fell  out  that  they  delaj'^ed  their  journey  two  hours 
later  than  was  their  original  purpose. 

"But  what  of  that,  my  good  young  friend?"  said  the  Mar- 
quis. "  Your  Castle  of  Wolf's  Crag  is  at  but  five  or  six  miles' 
distance,  and  will  afford  the  same  hospitality  to  your  kinsman 
of  A- that  it  gave  to  this  same  Sir  William  Ashton." 

"  Sir  William  took  the  castle  by  storm, "  said  Ravenswood, 
"and,  like  many  a  victor,  had  little  reason  to  congratulate 
himself  on  his  conquest." 

"Well — well!"  said  Lord  A ,  whose  dignity  was  some- 
thing relaxed  by  the  wine  he  had  drunk,  "  I  see  I  must  bribe 
you  to  harbour  me.  Come,  pledge  me  in  a  bumper  health  to 
the  last  yomig  lady  that  slept  at  Wolf's  Crag,  and  liked  her 
quarters.     My  bones  are  not  so  tender  as  hers,  and  I  am  re- 


276  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

solved  to  occupy  her  apartment  to-night,  that  I  may  judge 
how  hard  the  couch  is  that  love  can  soften." 

"  Your  lordship  may  choose  what  penance  you  please, "  said 
Ravenswood ;  "  but  I  assure  you,  I  should  expect  my  old  ser- 
vant to  hang  himself,  or  throw  himself  from  the  battlements, 
should  your  lordship  visit  him  so  unexpectedly.  I  do  assure 
you,  we  are  totally  and  literally  unprovided." 

But  his  declaration  only  brought  from  his  noble  patron  an 
assurance  of  his  own  total  indifference  as  to  every  species  of 
accommodation,  and  his  determination  to  see  the  Tower  of 
Wolf's  Crag.  His  ancestor,  he  said,  had  been  feasted  there, 
when  he  went  forward  with  the  then  Lord  Ravenswood  to  the 
fatal  battle  of  Flodden,  in  which  they  both  fell.  Thus  hard 
pressed,  the  Master  offered  to  ride  forward  to  get  matters  put 
in  such  preparation  as  time  and  circumstances  admitted;  but 
the  Marquis  protested  his  kinsman  must  afford  him  his  com- 
pany, and  would  only  consent  that  an  avant-courier  should 
carry  to  the  destined  seneschal,  Caleb  Balder  stone,  the  unex- 
pected news  of  this  invasion. 

The  Master  of  Ravenswood  soon  after  accompanied  the 
Marquis  in  his  carriage,  as  the  latter  had  proposed ;  and  when 
they  became  better  acquainted  in  the  progress  of  the  journey, 
his  noble  relation  explained  the  very  liberal  views  which  he 
entertained  for  his  relation's  preferment,  in  case  of  the  suc- 
cess of  his  own  political  schemes.  They  related  to  a  secret 
and  highly  important  commission  beyond  sea,  which  could  only 
be  entrusted  to  a  person  of  rank,  talent,  and  perfect  confi- 
dence, and  which,  as  it  required  great  trust  and  reliance  on 
the  envoy  employed,  could  not  but  prove  both  honourable  and 
advantageous  to  him.  We  need  not  enter  into  the  nature 
and  purpose  of  this  commission,  farther  than  to  acquaint  our 
readers  that  the  charge  was  in  prospect  highly  acceptable  to 
the  Master  of  Ravenswood,  who  hailed  with  pleasure  the  hope 
of  emerging  from  his  present  state  of  indigence  and  inaction 
into  independence  and  honourable  exertion. 

While  he  listened  thus  eagerly  to  the  details  with  which 
the  Marquis  now  thought  it  necessary  to  entrust  him,  the 
messenger  who  had  been  despatched  to  the  Tower  of  Wolf's 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  277 

Crag  returned  with  Caleb  Balderstone's  humble  duty,  and  an 
assurance  that  "  a'  should  be  in  seemly  order,  sic  as  the  hurry 
of  time  permitted,  to  receive  their  lordships  as  it  behoved." 

Eavenswood  was  too  well  accustomed  to  his  seneschal's 
mode  of  acting  and  speaking  to  hope  much  from  this  confi- 
dent assurance.  He  knew  that  Caleb  acted  upon  the  prin- 
ciple of  the  Spanish  generals,  in  the  campaign  of ,  who, 

much  to  the  perplexity  of  the  Prince  of  Orange,  their  com- 
mander-in-chief, used  to  report  their  troops  as  full  in  number, 
and  possessed  of  all  necessary  points  of  equipment,  not  con- 
sidering it  consistent  with  their  dignity,  or  the  honour  of 
Spain,  to  confess  any  deficiency  either  in  men  or  munition, 
until  the  want  of  both  was  unavoidably  discovered  in  the  day 
of  battle.  Accordingly,  Eavenswood  thought  it  necessary  to 
give  the  Marquis  some  hint  that  the  fair  assurance  which  they 
had  just  received  from  Caleb  did  not  by  any  means  ensure 
them  against  a  very  indifferent  reception. 

"  You  do  yourself  injustice.  Master, "  said  the  Marquis,  "  or 
you  wish  to  surprise  me  agreeably.  From  this  window  I  see 
a  great  light  in  the  direction  where,  if  I  remember  aright, 
Wolf's  Crag  lies;  and,  to  judge  from  the  splendour  which  the 
old  Tower  sheds  around  it,  the  preparations  for  our  reception 
must  be  of  no  ordinary  description.  I  remember  your  father 
putting  the  same  deception  on  me,  when  we  went  to  the 
Tower  for  a  few  days'  hawking,  about  twenty  years  since, 
and  yet  we  spent  our  time  as  joUily  at  Wolf's  Crag  as  we 
could  have  done  at  my  own  hunting  seat  at  B ." 

"Your  lordship,  I  fear,  will  experience  that  the  faculty 
of  the  present  proprietor  to  entertain  his  friends  is  greatly 
abridged,"  said  Eavenswood;  "the  will,  I  need  hardly  say, 
remains  the  same.  But  I  am  as  much  at  a  loss  as  your  lord- 
ship to  account  for  so  strong  and  brilliant  a  light  as  is  now 
above  Wolf's  Crag;  the  windows  of  the  Tower  are  few  and 
narrow,  and  those  of  the  lower  story  are  hidden  from  us  by 
the  walls  of  the  court.  I  cannot  conceive  that  any  illumina- 
tion of  an  ordinary  nature  could  afford  such  a  blaze  of  light." 

The  mystery  was  soon  explained;  for  the  cavalcade  almost 
instantly  halted,  and  the  voice  of  Caleb  Balderstone  was  heard 


278  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

at  the  coach  window,  exclaiming,  in  accents  broken  by  grief 
and  fear,  "Och,  gentlemen!  Och,  my  gude lords!  Och,  hand 
to  the  right!  Wolf's  Crag  is  burning,  bower  and  ha' — a'  the 
rich  plenishing  outside  and  inside — a'  the  fine  graith,  pictures, 
tapestries,  needle-wa^^k,  hangings,  and  other  decorements — a' 
in  a  bleeze,  as  if  they  were  nae  mair  than  sae  mony  peats,  or 
as  muckle  pease-strae !  Hand  to  the  right,  gentlemen,  I  im- 
plore ye;  there  is  some  sma'  provision  making  at  Luckie 
Sma'trash's;  but  oh,  wae  for  this  night,  and  wae  for  me  that 
lives  to  see  it!" 

Ravenswood  was  first  stunned  by  this  new  and  unexpected 
calamity;  but  after  a  moment's  recollection  he  sprang  from 
the  carriage,  and  hastily  bidding  his  noble  kinsman  good- 
night, was  about  to  ascend  the  hill  towards  the  castle,  the 
broad  and  full  conflagration  of  which  now  flung  forth  a  high 
column  of  red  light,  that  flickered  far  to  seaward  upon  the 
dashing  waves  of  the  ocean. 

"Take  a  horse,  Master,"  exclaimed  the  Marquis,  greatly 
affected  by  this  additional  misfortune,  so  unexpectedly  heaped 
upon  his  young  protecje;  "  and  give  me  my  ambling  palfrey ; 
and  haste  forward,  you  knaves,  to  see  what  can  be  done  to 
save  the  furniture,  or  to  extinguish  the  fire — ride,  you  knaves, 
for  your  lives!" 

The  attendants  bustled  together,  and  began  to  strike  their 
horses  with  the  spur,  and  call  upon  Caleb  to  show  them  the 
road.  But  the  voice  of  that  careful  seneschal  was  heard  above 
the  tumult,  "  Oh,  stop  sirs,  stop — turn  bridle,  for  the  luve  of 
Mercy;  add  not  loss  of  lives  to  the  loss  of  warld's  gear! 
Thirty  barrels  of  powther,  landed  out  of  a  Dunkirk  dogger  in 
the  auld  lord's  time — a'  in  the  vau'ts  of  the  auld  tower, — the 
fire  canna  be  far  off  it,  I  trow.  Lord's  sake,  to  the  right, 
lads — to  the  right;  let's  pit  the  hill  atween  us  and  peril, — a 
wap  wi'  a  corner-stane  o'  Wolf's  Crag  wad  defy  the  doctor!" 

It  will  readily  be  supposed  that  this  annunciation  hurried 
the  Marquis  and  his  attendants  into  the  route  which  Caleb 
prescribed,  dragging  Ravenswood  along  with  them,  although 
there  was  much  in  the  matter  which  he  could  not  possibly 
comprehend.     "Gunpowder!"    he  exclaimed,  laying  hold  of 


The  Fire  at  Wolfs  Crag. 

Lammermoor,  Chap,  xxv.,  p.  278, 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  279 

Caleb,  who  in  vain  endeavoured  to  escape  from  him ;  "  what 
gunpowder?  How  any  quantity  of  powder  could  be  in  Wolf's 
Crag  without  my  knowledge,  I  cannot  possibly  comprehend." 

"But  I  can,"  interrupted  the  Marquis,  whispering  him,  "I 
can  comprehend  it  thoroughly;  for  God's  sake,  ask  him  no 
more  questions  at  present." 

"  There  it  is,  now, "  said  Caleb,  extricating  himself  from  his 
master,  and  adjusting  his  dress,  "your  honour  will  believe  his 
lordship's  honourable  testimony.  His  lordship  minds  weel 
how,  in  the  year  that  him  they  ca'd  King  Willie  died " 

"Hush!  hush,  my  good  friend!"  said  the  Marquis;  "I 
shall  satisfy  your  master  upon  that  subject." 

"And  the  people  at  Wolf's  Hope,"  said  Ravenswood,  "did 
none  of  them  come  to  your  assistance  before  the  flame  got 
so  high?" 

"Ay  did  they,  mony  ane  of  them,  the  rapscallions!"  said 
Caleb ;  "  but  truly  I  was  in  nae  hurry  to  let  them  into  the 
Tower,  where  there  were  so  much  plate  and  valuables." 

"Confound  you  for  an  impudent  liar!"  said  Ravenswood, 
in  uncontrollable  ire,  "  there  was  not  a  single  ounce  of " 

"  Forbye, "  said  the  butler,  most  irreverently  raising  his  voice 
to  a  pitch  which  drowned  his  master's,  "  the  iire  made  fast  on 
us,  owing  to  the  store  of  tapestry  and  carved  timmer  in  the 
banqueting-ha',  and  the  loons  ran  like  scauded  rats  sae  sune 
as  they  heard  of  the  gunpouther." 

"I  do  entreat,"  said  the  Marquis  to  Ravenswood,  "you  will 
ask  him  no  more  questions." 

"  Only  one,  my  lord.     What  has  become  of  poor  Mysie?" 

"Mysie!"  said  Caleb,  "I  had  nae  time  to  look  about  ony 
Mysie;  she's  in  the  Tower,  I'se  warrant,  biding  her  awful 
doom. " 

"By  heaven,"  said  Ravenswood,  "I  do  not  understand  all 
this !  The  life  of  a  faithful  old  creature  is  at  stake ;  my  lord, 
I  will  be  withheld  no  longer ;  I  will  at  least  ride  up,  and  see 
whether  the  danger  is  as  imminent  as  this  old  fool  pretends. " 

"Weel,  then,  as  I  live  by  bread,"  said  Caleb,  "Mysie  is 
weel  and  safe.  I  saw  her  out  of  the  castle  before  I  left  it 
mysell.     Was  I  ganging  to  forget  an  auld  fellow-servant?" 


280  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

"  What  made  you  tell  me  the  contrary  this  moment?"  said 
his  master. 

"Did  I  tell  you  the  contrary?"  said  Caleb;  "then  I  maun 
hae  been  dreaming  surely,  or  this  awsome  night  has  turned 
my  judgment;  but  safe  she  is,  and  ne'er  a  living  soul  in  the 
castle,  a'  the  better  for  them :  they  wau  have  gotten  an  unco 
heezy . " 

The  Master  of  Ravens  wood,  upon  this  assurance  being 
solemnly  reiterated,  and  notwithstanding  his  extreme  wish  to 
witness  the  last  explosion,  which  was  to  ruin  to  the  ground 
the  mansion  of  his  fathers,  suffered  himself  to  be  dragged  on- 
ward towards  the  village  of  Wolf's  Hope,  where  not  only  the 
change-house,  but  that  of  our  well-known  friend  the  cooper, 
were  all  prepared  for  reception  of  himseK  and  his  noble  guest, 
with  a  liberality  of  provision  which  requires  some  explanation. 

We  omitted  to  mention  in  its  place,  that  Lockhard  having 
fished  out  the  truth  concerning  the  mode  by  which  Caleb  had 
obtained  the  supplies  for  his  banquet,  the  Lord  Keeper, 
amused  with  the  incident,  and  desirous  at  the  time  to  gratify 
Ravens  wood,  had  recommended  the  cooper  of  Wolf's  Hope  to 
the  official  situation  under  government  the  prospect  of  which 
had  reconciled  him  to  the  loss  of  his  wild-fowl.  Mr.  Girder's 
preferment  had  occasioned  a  pleasing  surprise  to  old  Caleb; 
for  when,  some  days  after  his  master's  departure,  he  found 
himself  absolutely  compelled,  by  some  necessary  business,  to 
visit  the  fishing  hamlet,  and  was  gliding  like  a  ghost  past  the 
door  of  the  cooper,  for  fear  of  being  summoned  to  give  some 
account  of  the  progress  of  the  solicitation  in  his  favour,  or, 
more  probably  that  the  inmates  might  upbraid  him  with  the 
false  hope  he  had  held  out  upon  the  subject,  he  heard  him- 
self, not  without  some  apprehension,  summoned  at  once  in 
treble,  tenor,  and  bass — a  trio  performed  by  the  voices  of  Mrs. 
Girder,  old  Dame  Loup-the-Dyke,  and  the  goodman  of  the 
dwelling— "  Mr.  Caleb!— Mr.  Caleb!— Mr.  Caleb  Balderstone! 
I  hope  ye  arena  ganging  dry-lipped  by  our  door,  and  we  sae 
muckle  indebted  to  you?" 

This  might  be  said  ironically  as  well  as  in  earnest.  Caleb 
augured  the  worst,  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  the  trio  aforesaid,  and 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  281 

was  moving  doggedly  on,  his  ancient  castor  pulled  over  Ms 
brows,  and  Ms  eyes  bent  on  the  ground,  as  if  to  count  the 
flinty  pebbles  with  which  the  rude  pathway  was  causewayed. 
But  on  a  sudden  he  found  himself  surrounded  in  his  progress, 
like  a  stately  merchantman  in  the  Gut  of  Gibraltar  (I  hope  the 
ladies  will  excuse  the  tarpaulin  phrase)  by  three  Algerine 
galleys. 

"  Gude  guide  us,  Mr.  Balderstone!"  said  Mrs.  Girder. 

"  Wha  wad  hae  thought  it  of  an  auld  and  kenned  friend!" 
said  the  mother. 

"  And  no  sae  muckle  as  stay  to  receive  our  thanks,"  said  the 
cooper  himself,  "  and  frae  the  like  o'  me  that  seldom  offers 
them!  I  am  sure  I  hope  there's  nae  ill  seed  sawn  between 
us,  Mr.  Balderstone.  Ony  man  that  has  said  to  ye  I  am  no 
gratefu'  for  the  situation  of  Queen's  cooper,  let  me  hae  a  wham- 
ple  at  him  wi'  mine  eatche,  that's  a'." 

"  My  good  friends — my  dear  friends, "  said  Caleb,  still 
doubting  how  the  certainty  of  the  matter  might  stand,  "  what 
needs  a'  this  ceremony?  Aiie  tries  to  serve  their  friends,  and 
sometimes  they  may  happen  to  prosper,  and  sometimes  to  mis- 
gie.  Naething  I  care  to  be  fashed  wi'  less  than  thanks ;  I 
never  could  bide  them." 

"  Faith,  Mr.  Balderstone,  ye  suld  hae  been  fashed  wi'  few 
o'  mine,"  said  the  downright  man  of  staves  and  hoops,  "  if  I 
had  only  your  gude-will  to  thank  ye  for :  I  suld  e'en  hae  set 
the  guse,  and  the  wild  deukes,  and  the  runlet  of  sack  to  bal- 
ance that  account.  Gude-will,  man,  is  a  geizen'd  tub,  that 
hands  in  nae  liquor;  but  gude  deed's  like  the  cask,  tight, 
round,  and  sound,  that  will  hand  liquor  for  the  king." 

"  Have  ye  no  heard  of  our  letter, "  said  the  mother-in-law, 
"making  our  John  [Gibbie]  the  Queen's  cooper  for  certain? 
and  scarce  a  chield  that  had  ever  hammered  gird  upon  tub  but 
was  applying  for  it?" 

"Have  I  heard!!!"  said  Caleb,  who  now  found  how  the 
wind  set,  with  an  accent  of  exceeding  contempt,  at  the  doubt 
expressed — "have  I  heard,  quo 'she! !!"  and  as  he  spoke  he 
changed  his  shambling,  skulking,  dodging  pace  into  a  manly 
and  authoritative  step,  readjusted  his  cocked  hat,  and  suffered 


282  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

Ms  brow  to  emerge  from  under  it  in  all  the  pride  of  aristoc- 
racy, like  the  sun  from  behind  a  cloud. 

"  To  be  sure,  he  canna  but  hae  heard, "  said  the  good  woman. 

"Ay,  to  be  sure  it's  impossible  but  I  should,"  said  Caleb; 
"  and  sae  I'll  be  the  first  to  kiss  ye,  joe,  and  wish  you,  cooper, 
much  joy  of  your  preferment,  naething  doubting  but  ye  ken 
wha  are  your  friends,  and  have  helped  ye,  and  can  help  ye.  I 
thought  it  right  to  look  a  wee  strange  upon  it  at  first, "  added 
Caleb,  "just  to  see  if  ye  were  made  of  the  right  mettle j  but 
ye  ring  true,  lad — ye  ring  true!" 

So  saying,  with  a  most  lordly  air  he  kissed  the  women,  and 
abandoned  his  hand,  with  an  air  of  serene  patronage,  to  the 
hearty  shake  of  Mr.  Girder's  horn-hard  palm.  Upon  this 
complete,  and  to  Caleb  most  satisfactory,  information  he  did 
not,  it  may  readily  be  believed,  hesitate  to  accept  an  invita- 
tion to  a  solemn  feast,  to  which  were  invited,  not  only  all  the 
notables  of  the  village,  but  even  his  ancient  antagonist,  Mr. 
Dingwall,  himself.  At  this  festivity  he  was,  of  course,  the 
most  welcome  and  most  honoured  guest;  and  so  well  did  he 
ply  the  company  with  stories  of  what  he  could  do  with  his 
master,  his  master  with  the  Lord  Keeper,  the  Lord  Keeper 
with  the  council,  and  the  council  with  the  king  [queen],  that 
before  the  company  dismissed  (which  was,  indeed,  rather  at  an 
early  hour  than  a  late  one),  every  man  of  note  in  the  village 
was  ascending  to  the  top-gallant  of  some  ideal  preferment  by 
the  ladder  of  ropes  which  Caleb  had  presented  to  their  imagi- 
nation. Nay,  the  cunning  butler  regained  in  that  moment  not 
only  all  the  influence  he  possessed  formerly  over  the  villagers, 
when  the  baronial  family  which  he  served  were  at  the  proud- 
est, but  acquired  even  an  accession  of  importance.  The 
writer — the  very  attorney  himself,  such  is  the  thirst  of  prefer- 
ment— felt  the  force  of  the  attraction,  and  taking  an  oppor- 
tunity to  draw  Caleb  into  a  corner,  spoke,  with  affectionate 
regret,  of  the  declining  health  of  the  sheriff-clerk  of  the 
county. 

"An  excellent  man — a  most  valuable  man,  Mr.  Caleb;  but 
fat  sail  I  say!  we  are  peer  feckless  bodies,  here  the  day  and 
awa'  by  cock-screech  the  morn ;  and  if  he  f ailyies,  there  maun 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  283 

be  somebody  in  his  place ;  and  gif  that  ye  could  airt  it  my 
way,  I  sail  be  thankful,  man — a  gluve  stuffed  wi'  gowd  nobles ; 
an'  hark  ye,  man,  something  canny  till  yoursell,  and  the  Wolf's 
Hope  carles  to  settle  kindly  wi'  the  JNIaster  of  Ravenswood — 
that  is.  Lord  Ravens  wood — God  bless  his  lordship!" 

A  smile,  and  a  hearty  squeeze  by  the  hand,  was  the  suit- 
able answer  to  this  overture ;  and  Caleb  made  his  escape  from 
the  jovial  party,  in  order  to  avoid  committing  himself  by  any 
special  promises. 

"  The  Lord  be  gude  to  me, "  said  Caleb,  when  he  found  him- 
self in  the  open  air,  and  at  liberty  to  give  vent  to  the  self- 
exultation  with  which  he  was,  as  it  were,  distended ;  "  did  ever 
ony  man  see  sic  a  set  of  green-gaislings?  The  very  pick- 
maws  and  solan-geese  out-bye  yonder  at  the  Bass  hae  ten 
times  their  sense !  God,  an  I  had  been  the  Lord  High  Com- 
missioner to  the  Estates  o'  Parliament,  they  couldna  hae 
beflumm'd  me  mair;  and,  to  speak  Heaven's  truth,  I  could 
hardly  hae  beflumm'd  them  better  neither!  But  the  writer — 
ha!  ha!  ha! — ah,  ha!  ha!  ha!  mercy  on  me,  that  I  suld  live 
in  my  auld  days  to  gie  the  gang-bye  to  the  very  writer! 
Sheriff-clerk ! ! !  But  I  hae  an  auld  account  to  settle  wi'  the 
carle ;  and  to  make  amends  for  bye-ganes,  the  office  shall  just 
cost  him  as  much  time-serving  and  tide-serving  as  if  he  were 
to  get  it  in  gude  earnest,  of  whilk  there  is  sma'  appearance, 
unless  the  Master  learns  mair  the  ways  of  this  warld,  whilk  it 
is  muckle  to  be  doubted  that  he  never  will  do." 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 


Why  flames  yon  far  summit— why  shoot  to  the  blast 
Those  embers,  like  stars  from  the  firmament  cast  ? 
'Tis  the  fire-shower  of  ruin,  all  dreadfully  driven 
From  thine  eyrie,  that  beacons  the  darkness  of  Heaven. 

Campbell. 

The  circumstances  announced  in  the  conclusion  of  the  last 
chapter  will  account  for  the  ready  and  cheerful  reception  of 
the  Marquis  of  A and  the  Master  of  Ravenswood  in  the 


284  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

village  of  Wolf's  Hope.  In  fact,  Caleb  had  no  sooner  an- 
nounced the  conflagration  of  the  tower  than  the  whole  hamlet 
were  upon  foot  to  hasten  to  extinguish  the  flames.  And  al- 
though that  zealous  adherent  diverted  their  zeal  by  intimating 
the  formidable  contents  of  the  subterranean  apartments,  yet 
the  check  only  turned  their  assiduity  into  another  direction. 
Never  had  there  been  such  slaughtering  of  capons,  and  fat 
geese,  and  barndoor  fowls;  never  such  boiling  of  "reested" 
hams;  never  such  making  of  car-cakes  and  sweet  scones, 
Selkirk  bannocks,  cookies,  and  petticoat-tails — delicacies  lit- 
tle known  to  the  present  generation.  Never  had  there  been 
such  a  tapping  of  barrels,  and  such  uncorking  of  greybeards, 
in  the  village  of  Wolf's  Hope.  All  the  inferior  houses  were 
thrown  open  for  the  reception  of  the  Marquis's  dependants, 
who  came,  it  was  thought,  as  precursors  of  the  shower  of  pre- 
ferment which  hereafter  was  to  leave  the  rest  of  Scotland 
dry,  in  order  to  distil  its  rich  dews  on  the  village  of  Wolf's 
Hope  under  Lammermoor.  The  minister  put  in  his  claim  to 
have  the  guests  of  distinction  lodged  at  the  manse,  having  his 
eye,  it  was  thought,  upon  a  neighbouring  preferment,  where 
the  incumbent  was  sickly;  but  Mr.  Balderstone  destined  that 
honour  to  the  cooper,  his  wife,  and  wife's  mother,  who  danced 
for  joy  at  the  preference  thus  assigned  them. 

Many  a  beck  and  many  a  bow  welcomed  these  noble  guests 
to  as  good  entertainment  as  persons  of  such  rank  could  set  be- 
fore such  visitors ;  and  the  old  dame,  who  had  formerly  lived 
in  Kavenswood  Castle,  and  knew,  as  she  said,  the  ways  of  the 
nobility,  was  in  no  whit  wanting  in  arranging  matters,  as  well 
as  circumstances  permitted,  according  to  the  etiquette  of  the 
times.  The  cooper's  house  was  so  roomy  that  each  guest  had 
his  separate  retiring-room,  to  which  they  were  ushered  with 
all  due  ceremony,  while  the  plentiful  supper  was  in  the  act  of 
being  placed  upon  the  table. 

Ravenswood  no  sooner  found  himself  alone  than,  impelled 
by  a  thousand  feelings,  he  left  the  apartment,  the  house,  and 
the  village,  and  hastily  retraced  his  steps  to  the  brow  of  the 
hill,  which  rose  betwixt  the  village  and  screened  it  from  the 
tower,  in  order  to  view  the  final  fall  of  the  house  of  his  fa- 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  285 

thers.  Some  idle  boys  from  the  hamlet  had  taken  the  same 
direction  out  of  curiosity,  having  first  witnessed  the  arrival  of 
the  coach  and  six  and  its  attendants.  As  they  ran  one  by  one 
past  the  Master,  calling  to  each  other  to  "  Come  and  see  the 
auld  tower  blaw  up  in  the  lift  like  the  peelings  of  an  ingan, " 
he  could  not  but  feel  himself  moved  with  indignation.  "  And 
these  are  the  sons  of  my  father's  vassals,"  he  said — "of  men 
bound,  both  by  law  and  gratitude,  to  follow  our  steps  through 
battle,  and  fire,  and  flood;  and  now  the  destruction  of  their 
liege  lord's  house  is  but  a  holiday's  sight  to  them!" 

These  exasperating  reflections  were  partly  expressed  in  the 
acrimony  with  which  he  exclaimed,  on  feeling  himself  pulled 
by  the  cloak :  "  What  do  you  want,  you  dog?" 

"  I  am  a  dog,  and  an  auld  dog  too, "  answered  Caleb,  for  it 
was  he  who  had  taken  the  freedom,  "  and  I  am  like  to  get  a 
dog's  wages;  but  it  does  not  signification  a  pinch  of  sneesing, 
for  I  am  ower  auld  a  dog  to  learn  new  tricks,  or  to  follow  a 
new  master." 

As  he  spoke,  Ravenswood  attained  the  ridge  of  the  hill  from 
which  WoK's  Crag  was  visible;  the  fiames  had  entirely  sunk 
down,  and,  to  his  great  surprise,  there  was  only  a  dusky  red- 
dening upon  the  clouds  immediately  over  the  castle,  which 
seemed  the  reflection  of  the  embers  of  the  sunken  fire. 

"  The  place  cannot  have  blown  up, "  said  the  Master ;  "  we 
must  have  heard  the  report :  if  a  quarter  of  the  gunpowder 
was  there  you  tell  me  of,  it  would  have  been  heard  twenty 
miles  off." 

"It's  very  like  it  wad,"  said  Balderstone,  composedly. 

"  Then  the  fire  cannot  have  reached  the  vaults?" 

"It's  like  no,"  answered  Caleb,  with  the  same  impenetrable 
gravity. 

"  Hark  ye,  Caleb, "  said  his  master,  "  this  grows  a  little  too 
much  for  my  patience.  I  must  go  and  examine  how  matters 
stand  at  Wolf's  Crag  myself." 

"Your  honour  is  ganging  to  gaug  nae  sic  gate,"  said  Caleb, 
firmly. 

"  And  why  not?"  said  Ravenswood,  sharply;  "  who  or  what 
shall  prevent  me?" 


286  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

"Even  I  uiysell,"  said  Caleb,  with  the  same  determination. 

"You,  Balderstone!"  replied  the  Master;  "you  are  forget- 
ting yourself,  I  think." 

"  But  I  think  no,"  said  Balderstone;  "for  I  can  just  tell  ye 
a^  about  the  castle  on  this  knowe-head  as  weel  as  if  ye  were 
at  it.  Only  dinna  pit  yoursell  into  a  kippage,  and  expose 
yoursell  before  the  weans,  or  before  the  Marquis,  when  ye 
gang  down-bye." 

"  Speak  out,  you  old  fool, "  replied  his  master,  "  and  let  me 
know  the  best  and  the  worst  at  once." 

"  Ou,  the  best  and  the  warst  is,  just  that  the  tower  is  stand- 
ing hail  and  feir,  as  safe  and  as  empty  as  when  ye  left  it." 

"Indeed!  and  the  fire?"  said  Ravenswood. 

"  Not  a  gleed  of  fire,  then,  except  the  bit  kindling  peat,  and 
maybe  a  spunk  in  Mysie's  cutty-pipe,"  replied  Caleb. 

"  But  the  flame?"  demanded  Kavenswood — "  the  broad  blaze 
which  might  have  been  seen  ten  miles  off — what  occasioned 
that?" 

"  Hout  awa' !  it's  an  auld  saying  and  a  true — 

Little's  the  light 

Will  be  seen  far  in  a  mirk  night. 

A  wheen  fern  and  horse  litter  that  I  fired  in  the  courtyard,  after 
sending  back  the  loon  of  a  footman;  and,  to  speak  Heaven's 
truth,  the  next  time  that  ye  send  or  bring  ony  body  here,  let 
them  be  gentles  allenarly,  without  ony  fremd  servants,  like 
that  chield  Lockhard,  to  be  gledging  and  gleeing  about,  and 
looking  upon  the  wrang  side  of  ane's  housekeeping,  to  the 
discredit  of  the  family,  and  forcing  ane  to  damn  their  souls 
wi'  telling  ae  lee  after  another  faster  than  I  can  count  them : 
I  wad  rather  set  fire  to  the  tower  in  gude  earnest,  and  burn  it 
ower  my  ain  head  into  the  bargain,  or  I  see  the  family  dis- 
honoured in  the  sort." 

"  Upon  my  word,  I  am  infinitely  obliged  by  the  proposal, 
Caleb, "  said  his  master,  scarce  able  to  restrain  his  laughter, 
though  rather  angry  at  the  same  time.  "  But  the  gunpowder — 
is  there  such  a  thing  in  the  tower?  The  Marquis  seemed  to 
know  of  it." 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  287 

"The  pouther,  ha!  ha!  ha! — the  Marquis,  ha!  ha!  ha!" 
replied  Caleb, — "  if  your  honour  were  to  brain  me,  I  behooved 
to  laugh, — the  Marquis — thepouther!  Was  it  there?  Ay,  it 
was  there.  Did  he  ken  o't?  My  certie!  the  ^Marquis  kenn'd 
o't,  and  it  was  the  best  o'  the  game;  for,  when  I  conldna 
pacify  your  honour  wi'  a'  that  I  could  say,  I  aye  threw  out  a 
word  mair  about  the  gunpouther,  and  garr'd  the  Marquis  tak 
the  job  in  his  ainhand." 

"  But  you  have  not  answered  my  question,"  said  the  Master, 
impatiently ;  "  how  came  the  powder  there,  and  where  is  it 
now?" 

"Ou,  it  came  there,  an  ye  maun  needs  ken,"  said  Caleb, 
looking  mysteriously,  and  whispering,  "  when  there  was  like 
to  be  a  wee  bit  rising  here ;  and  the  Marquis,  and  a'  the  great 
lords  of  the  north,  were  a'  in  it,  and  mony  a  gudely  gun  and 
broadsword  were  ferried  ower  frae  Dunkirk  forbye  the  pou- 
ther.  Awfu'  wark  we  had  gettmg  them  into  the  tower  under 
cloud  o'  night,  for  ye  maun  think  it  wasna  everybody  could  be 
trusted  wi'  sic  kittle  jobs.  But  if  ye  will  gae  hame  to  your 
supper,  I  will  tell  you  a'  about  it  as  ye  gang  down." 

"  And  these  wretched  boys, "  said  Ravenswood,  "  is  it  your 
pleasure  they  are  to  sit  there  all  night,  to  wait  for  the  blowing 
up  of  a  tower  that  is  not  even  on  fire?" 

"  Surely  not,  if  it  is  your  honour's  pleasure  that  they  suld 
gang  hame ;  although, "  added  Caleb,  "  it  wadna  do  them  a 
grain's  damage:  they  wad  screigh  less  the  next  day,  and  sleep 
the  sounder  at  e'en.      But  just  as  your  honour  likes." 

Stepping  accordingly  towards  the  urchins  who  manned  the 
knolls  near  which  they  stood,  Caleb  informed  them,  in  an  au- 
thoritative tone,  that  their  honours  Lord  Ravenswood  and  the 

Marquis  of  A had  given  orders  that  the  tower  was  not  to 

blow  up  till  next  day  at  noon.  The  boys  dispersed  upon  this 
comfortable  assurance.  One  or  two,  however,  followed  Caleb 
for  more  information,  particularly  the  urchin  whom  he  had 
cheated  while  officiating  as  turnspit,  who  screamed,  "  Mr.  Bald- 
erstone! — Mr.  Balderstone!  then  the  castle's  gane  out  like  an 
auld  wife's  spunk?" 

"  To  be  sure  it  is,  callant, "  said  the  butler ;  "  do  ye  think 


288  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

the  castle  of  as  great  a  lord  as  Lord  Ravenswood  wad  continue 
in  a  bleeze,  and  him  standing  looking  on  wi'  his  aiu  very  een? 
It's  aye  right,"  continued  Caleb,  shaking  off  his  ragged  page, 
and  closing  in  to  his  Master,  "  to  train  up  weans,  as  the  wise 
man  says,  in  the  way  they  should  go,  and,  aboon  a',  to  teach 
them  respect  to  their  superiors." 

"  But  all  this  while,  Caleb,  you  have  never  told  me  what 
became  of  the  arms  and  powder, "  said  Ravenswood. 

"Why,  as  for  the  arms,"  said  Caleb,  "it  was  just  like  the 
bairn's  rhyme — 

Some  gaed  east  and  some  gaed  west, 
And  some  gaed  to  the  craw's  nest. 

And  for  the  pouther,  1  e'en  changed  it,  as  occasion  served, 
with  the  skippers  o'  Dutch  luggers  and  French  vessels,  for 
gin  and  brandy,  and  it  served  the  house  mony  a  year — a  gude 
swap  too,  between  what  cheereth  the  soul  of  man  and  that 
which  hingeth  it  clean  out  of  his  body;  forbye,  I  keepit  a 
wheen  pounds  of  it  for  yoursell  when  ye  wanted  to  take  the 
pleasure  o'  shooting:  whiles,  in  these  latter  days,  I  wad  hard- 
ly hae  kenn'd  else  whar  to  get  pouther  for  your  pleasure.  And 
now  that  your  anger  is  ower,  sir,  wasna  that  weel  managed  o' 
me,  and  arena  ye  far  better  sorted  doun  yonder  than  ye  could 
hae  been  in  your  ain  auld  ruins  up-bye  yonder,  as  the  case 
stands  wi'  us  now?  the  mair's  the  pity!" 

"I  believe  you  may  be  right,  Caleb;  but,  before  burning 
down  my  castle,  either  in  jest  or  in  earnest,"  said  Ravens- 
wood, "  I  think  I  had  a  right  to  be  in  the  secret. " 

"Fie  for  shame,  your  honour!"  replied  Caleb;  "  it  fits  an 
auld  carle  like  me  weel  eneugh  to  tell  lees  for  the  credit  of  the 
family,  but  it  wadna  beseem  the  like  o'  your  honour's  sell; 
besides,  young  folk  are  no  judicious :  they  cannot  make  the 
maist  of  a  bit  figment.  Now  this  fire — for  a  fire  it  sail  be,  if 
I  suld  burn  the  auld  stable  to  make  it  mair  feasible — this 
fire,  besides  that  it  will  be  an  excuse  for  asking  ony  thing  we 
want  through  the  country,  or  doun  at  the  haven — this  fire  will 
settle  mony  things  on  an  honourable  footing  for  the  family's 
credit,  that  cost  me  telling  twenty  daily  lees  to  a  wheen  idle 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  289 

chaps  and  queans,  and,  what's  waur,  without  gaining  cre- 
dence." 

"  That  was  hard  indeed,  Caleb ;  but  I  do  not  see  how  this 
fire  should  help  your  veracity  or  your  credit." 

"  There  it  is  now?"  said  Caleb ;  "  wasna  I  saying  that  young 
folk  had  a  green  judgment?  How  suld  it  help  me,  quotha? 
It  will  be  a  creditable  apology  for  the  honour  of  the  family 
for  this  score  of  years  to  come,  if  it  is  weel  guided.  'Where's 
the  family  pictures?'  says  ae  meddling  body.  'The  great  fire 
at  Wolf's  Crag,'  answers  I.  'Where's  the  family  plate?' 
says  another.  'The  great  fire,'  says  I;  'wha  was  to  think  of 
plate,  when  life  and  limb  were  in  danger?'  'Where's  the 
wardrobe  and  the  linens? — where's  the  tapestries  and  the 
decorements? — beds  of  state,  twilts,  pands  and  testors,  napery 
and  broidered  wark?'  'The  fire — the  fire — the  fire.'  Guide 
the  fire  weel,  and  it  will  serve  ye  for  a'  that  ye  suld  have  and 
have  not;  and,  in  some  sort,  a  gude  excuse  is  better  than  the 
things  themselves ;  for  they  maun  crack  and  wear  out,  and  be 
consumed  by  time,  whereas  a  gude  offcome,  prudently  and 
creditably  handled,  may  serve  a  nobleman  and  his  family, 
Lord  kens  how  lang!" 

Ravenswood  was  too  well  acquainted  with  his  butler's  per- 
tinacity and  self -opinion  to  dispute  the  point  with  him  any 
farther.  Leaving  Caleb,  therefore,  to  the  enjoyment  of  his 
own  successful  ingenuity,  he  returned  to  the  hamlet,  where  he 
found  the  Marquis  and  the  good  women  of  the  mansion  under 
some  anxiety — the  former  on  account  of  his  absence,  the  others 
for  the  discredit  their  cookery  might  sustain  by  the  delay  of  the 
supper.  All  were  now  at  ease,  and  heard  with  pleasure  that 
the  fire  at  the  castle  had  burned  out  of  itself  without  reaching 
the  vaults,  which  was  the  only  information  that  EaA^enswood 
thought  it  proper  to  give  in  public  concerning  the  event  of  his 
butler's  stratagem. 

They  sat  down  to  an  excellent  supper.  No  invitation  could 
prevail  on  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Girder,  even  in  their  own  house,  to 
sit  down  at  table  with  guests  of  such  high  quality.  They 
remained  standing  in  the  apartment,  and  acted  the  part  of 
respectful  and  careful  attendants  on  the  company.  Such  were 
19 


290  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

the  manners  of  the  time.  The  elder  dame,  confident  through 
her  age  and  connexion  with  the  Ravenswood  family,  was  less 
scrupulously  ceremonious.  She  played  a  mixed  part  betwixt 
that  of  the  hostess  of  an  inn  and  the  mistress  of  a  private 
house,  who  receives  guests  above  her  own  degree.  She 
recommended,  and  even  pressed,  what  she  thought  best,  and 
was  herself  easily  entreated  to  take  a  moderate  share  of  the 
good  cheer,  in  order  to  encourage  her  guests  by  her  own  ex- 
ample. Often  she  interrupted  herself,  to  express  her  regret 
that  "my  lord  did  not  eat;  that  the  Master  was  pyking  a 
bare  bane;  that,  to  be  sure,  there  was  naething  there  fit  to 
set  before  their  honours ;  that  Lord  Allan,  rest  his  saul,  used 
to  like  a  pouthered  guse,  and  said  it  was  Latin  for  a  tass  o' 
brandy ;  that  the  brandy  came  f rae  France  direct ;  for,  for  a' 
the  English  laws  and  gangers,  the  Wolf's  Hope  brigs  hadna 
forgotten  the  gate  to  Dunkirk." 

Here  the  cooper  admonished  his  mother-in-law  with  his  el- 
bow, which  procured  him  the  following  special  notice  in  the 
progress  of  her  speech : 

"Ye  needna  be  dunshin  that  gate,  John  [Gibbie],"  con- 
tinued the  old  lady;  "naebody  says  that  ye  ken  whar  the 
brandy  comes  frae;  and  it  wadna  be  fitting  ye  should,  and 
you  the  Queen's  cooper;  and  what  signifies' t,"  continued  she, 
addressing  Lord  Eavenswood,  "to  king,  queen,  or  kaiser 
whar  an  auld  wife  like  me  buys  her  pickle  sneeshin,  or  her 
drap  brandy-wine,  to  hand  her  heart  up?" 

Havmg  thus  extricated  herself  from  her  supposed  false  step. 
Dame  Loup-the-Dyke  proceeded,  during  the  rest  of  the  even- 
ing, to  supply,  with  great  animation,  and  very  little  assistance 
from  her  guests,  the  funds  necessary  for  the  support  of  the 
conversation,  until,  declining  any  further  circulation  of  their 
glass,  her  guests  requested  her  permission  to  retire  to  their 
apartments. 

The  Marquis  occupied  the  chamber  of  dais,  which,  in  every 
house  above  the  rank  of  a  mere  cottage,  was  kept  sacred  for 
such  high  occasions  as  the  present.  The  modern  finishing 
with  plaster  was  then  unknown,  and  tapestry  was  confined  to 
the  houses  of  the  nobility  and  superior  gentry.     The  cooper. 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  291 

therefore,  who  was  a  man  of  some  vanity,  as  well  as  some 
wealth,  had  imitated  the  fashion  observed  by  the  inferior 
landholders  and  clergy,  who  usually  ornamented  their  state 
apartments  with  hangings  of  a  sort  of  stamped  leather,  manu- 
factured in  the  Netherlands,  garnished  with  trees  and  animals 
executed  in  copper  foil,  and  with  many  a  pithy  sentence  of 
morality,  which,  although  couched  in  Low  Dutch,  were  per- 
haps as  much  attended  to  in  practice  as  if  written  in  broad 
Scotch.  The  whole  had  somewhat  of  a  gloomy  aspect;  but 
the  fire,  composed  of  old  pitch-barrel  staves,  blazed  merrily 
up  the  chimney;  the  bed  was  decorated  with  linen  of  most 
fresh  and  dazzling  whiteness,  which  had  never  before  been 
used,  and  might,  perhaps,  have  never  been  used  at  all,  but  for 
this  high  occasion.  On  the  toilette  beside,  stood  an  old-fash- 
ioned mirror,  in  a  fillagree  frame,  part  of  the  dispersed  finery 
of  the  neighbouring  castle.  It  was  flanked  by  a  long-necked 
bottle  of  Florence  wine,  by  which  stood  a  glass  nearly  as  tall, 
resembling  in  shape  that  which  Teniers  usually  places  in  the 
hands  of  his  own  portrait,  when  he  paints  himself  as  mingling 
in  the  revels  of  a  country  village.  To  counterbalance  those 
foreign  sentinels,  there  mounted  guard  on  the  other  side  of 
the  mirror  two  stout  warders  of  Scottish  Imeage ;  a  jug,  name- 
ly, of  double  ale,  which  held  a  Scotch  pint,  and  a  quaigh,  or 
bicker,  of  ivory  and  ebony,  hooped  with  silver,  the  work  of 
John  Girder's  own  hands,  and  the  pride  of  his  heart.  Besides 
these  preparations  against  thirst,  there  was  a  goodly  diet-loaf, 
or  sweet  cake;  so  that,  with  such  auxiliaries,  the  apartment 
seemed  victualled  against  a  siege  of  two  or  three  days. 

It  only  remains  to  say,  that  the  Marquis's  valet  was  in  at- 
tendance, displaying  his  master's  brocaded  nightgown,  and 
richly  embroidered  velvet  cap,  lined  and  faced  with  Brussels 
lace,  upon  a  huge  leathern  easy-chair,  wheeled  round  so  as  to 
have  the  full  advantage  of  the  comfortable  fire  which  we  have 
already  mentioned.  We  therefore  commit  that  eminent  per- 
son to  his  night's  repose,  trusting  he  profited  by  the  ample 
preparations  made  for  his  accommodation — preparations  which 
we  have  mentioned  in  detail,  as  illustrative  of  ancient  Scottish 
manners. 


292  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

It  is  not  necessary  we  should  be  equally  minute  in  describ- 
ing the  sleeping  apartment  of  the  Master  of  Eavenswood, 
which  was  that  usually  occupied  by  the  goodman  and  good- 
wife  themselves.  It  was  comfortably  hung  with  a  sort  of 
warm-coloured  worsted,  manufactured  in  Scotland,  approach- 
ing in  texture  to  what  is  now  called  shalloon.  A  staring 
picture  of  John  [Gibbie]  Girder  himself  ornamented  this 
dormitory,  painted  by  a  starving  Frenchman,  who  had,  God 
knows  how  or  why,  strolled  over  from  Flushing  or  Dunkirk 
to  Wolf's  Hope  in  a  smuggling  dogger.  The  features  were, 
indeed,  those  of  the  stubborn,  opinionative,  yet  sensible  arti- 
san, but  Monsieur  had  contrived  to  throw  a  French  grace  into 
the  look  and  manner,  so  utterly  inconsistent  with  the  dogged 
gravity  of  the  original,  that  it  was  impossible  to  look  at  it 
without  laughing.  John  and  his  family,  however,  piqued 
themselves  not  a  little  upon  this  picture,  and  were  proportion- 
ably  censured  by  the  neighbourhood,  who  pronoimced  that  the 
cooper,  in  sitting  for  the  same,  and  yet  more  in  presuming  to 
hang  it  up  in  his  bedchamber,  had  exceeded  his  privilege  as 
the  richest  man  of  the  village;  at  once  stept  beyond  the 
bounds  of  his  own  rank,  and  encroached  upon  those  of  the  su- 
perior orders ;  and,  in  line,  had  been  guilty  of  a  very  over- 
weening act  of  vanity  and  presumption.  Respect  for  the 
memory  of  my  deceased  friend,  Mr.  Richard  Tinto,  has 
obliged  me  to  treat  this  matter  at  some  length ;  but  I  spare 
the  reader  his  prolix  though  curious  observations,  as  well 
upon  the  character  of  the  French  school  as  upon  the  state  of 
painting  in  Scotland  at  the  beginning  of  the  18th  century. 

The  other  preparations  of  the  Master's  sleeping  apartment 
were  similar  to  those  in  the  chamber  of  dais. 

At  the  usual  early  hour  of  that  period,  the  Marquis  of  A 

and  his  kinsman  prepared  to  resume  their  journey.  This  could 
not  be  done  without  an  ample  breakfast,  in  which  cold  meat 
and  hot  meat,  and  oatmeal  flummery,  wine  and  spirits,  and 
milk  varied  by  every  possible  mode  of  preparation,  evinced 
the  same  desire  to  do  honour  to  their  guests  which  had  been 
shown  by  the  hospitable  owners  of  the  mansion  upon  the  even- 
ing before.     All  the  bustle  of  preparation  for  departure  now 


THE  BRIDE   OF   LAMMERMOOR.  293 

resounded  through  Wolf's  Hope.  There  was  paying  of  bills 
and  shaking  of  hands,  and  saddlmg  of  horses,  and  harnessing 
of  carriages,  and  distributing  of  drink-money.  The  Marquis 
left  a  broad  piece  for  the  gratification  of  John  Girder's  house- 
hold, which  he,  the  said  John,  was  for  some  time  disposed  to 
convert  to  his  own  use;  Dingwall,  the  writer,  assuring  him 
he  was  justified  in  so  domg,  seeing  he  was  the  disburser  of 
those  expenses  which  were  the  occasion  of  the  gratification. 
But,  notwithstanding  this  legal  authority,  John  could  not  find 
in  his  heart  to  dim  the  splendour  of  his  late  hospitality  by 
pocketing  anything  in  the  nature  of  a  gratuity.  He  only  as- 
sured his  menials  he  would  consider  them  as  a  damned  un- 
grateful pack  if  they  bought  a  gill  of  brandy  elsewhere  than 
out  of  his  own  stores ;  and  as  the  drink-money  was  likely  to 
go  to  its  legitimate  use,  he  comforted  himself  that,  in  this 
manner,  the  Marquis's  donative  would,  without  any  impeach- 
ment of  credit  and  character,  come  ultimately  into  his  own 
exclusive  possession. 

While  arrangements  were  making  for  departure.  Ravens- 
wood  made  blythe  the  heart  of  his  ancient  butler  by  informing 
him,  cautiously  however  (for  he  knew  Caleb's  warmth  of  imag- 
ination), of  the  probable  change  which  was  about  to  take 
place  in  his  fortunes.  He  deposited  with  Balderstone,  at  the 
same  time,  the  greater  part  of  his  slender  funds,  with  an  as- 
surance, which  he  was  obliged  to  reiterate  more  than  once, 
that  he  himself  had  sufficient  supplies  in  certain  prospect. 
He  therefore  enjoined  Caleb,  as  he  valued  his  favour,  to  de- 
sist from  all  farther  manoeuvres  against  the  inhabitants  of 
Wolf's  Hope,  their  cellars,  poultry -yards,  and  substance  what- 
soever. Li  this  prohibition,  the  old  domestic  acquiesced  more 
readily  than  his  master  expected. 

"  It  was  doubtless, "  he  said,  "  a  shame,  a  discredit,  and  a 
sin  to  harry  the  puir  creatures,  when  the  family  were  in  cir- 
cumstances to  live  honourably  on  their  ain  means ;  and  there 
might  be  wisdom,"  he  added,  "in  giving  them  a  while's 
breathing-time  at  any  rate,  that  they  might  be  the  more  read- 
ily brought  forward  upon  his  honour's  future  occasions." 

This  matter  being  settled,  and  having  taken  an  affectionate 


294  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

farewell  of  his  old  domestic,  the  Master  rejoined  his  noble 
relative,  who  was  now  ready  to  enter  his  carriage.  The  two 
landladies,  old  and  young,  having  received  in  all  kindly  greet- 
ing a  kiss  from  each  of  their  noble  guests,  stood  simpering  at 
the  door  of  their  house,  as  the  coach  and  six,  followed  by  its 
train  of  clattering  horsemen,  thundered  out  of  the  village. 
John  Girder  also  stood  upon  his  threshold,  now  looking  at  his 
honoured  right  hand,  which  had  been  so  lately  shaken  by  a 
marquis  and  a  lord,  and  now  giving  a  glance  into  the  interior 
of  his  mansion,  which  manifested  all  the  disarray  of  the  late 
revel,  as  if  balancing  the  distinction  which  he  had  attained 
with  the  expenses  of  the  entertainment. 

At  length  he  opened  his  oracular  jaws.  "  Let  every  man 
and  woman  here  set  about  their  ain  business,  as  if  there  was 
nae  sic  thing  as  marquis  or  master,  duke  or  drake,  laird  or 
lord,  in  this  world.  Let  the  house  be  redd  up,  the  broken 
meat  set  bye,  and  if  there  is  ony  thing  totally  uneatable,  let 
it  be  gien  to  the  puir  folk ;  and,  gude  mother  and  wife,  I  hae 
just  ae  thing  to  entreat  ye,  that  ye  will  never  speak  to  me  a 
single  word,  good  or  bad,  anent  a'  this  nonsense  wark,  but 
keep  a'  your  cracks  about  it  to  yoursells  and  your  kimmers, 
for  my  head  is  weel-nigh  dung  donnart  wi'  it  already. " 

As  John's  authority  was  tolerably  absolute,  all  departed  to 
their  usual  occupations,  leaving  him  to  build  castles  in  the 
air,  if  he  had  a  mind,  upon  the  court  favour  which  he  had 
acquired  by  the  expenditure  of  his  worldly  substance. 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

Why,  now  I  have  Dame  Fortune  by  the  forelock, 
And  if  she  escapes  my  grasp,  the  fault  is  mine  ; 
He  that  hath  buffeted  with  stern  adversity 
Best  knows  to  shape  his  course  to  favouring  breezes. 

Old  Play. 

Our  travellers  reached  Edinburgh  without  any  farther  ad- 
venture, and  the  Master  of  Ravenswood,  as  had  been  pre- 
viously settled,  took  up  his  abode  with  his  noble  friend. 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR^  295 

In  the  meaii  time,  the  political  crisis  which  had  been  expected 
took  place,  and  the  Tory  party  obtained  in  the  Scottish,  as  in 
the  English,  conncils  of  Queen  Anne  a  short-lived  ascendency, 
of  which  it  is  not  our  business  to  trace  either  the  cause  or  con- 
sequences. Suffice  it  to  say,  that  it  affected  the  dilferent 
political  parties  according  to  the  nature  of  their  principles. 
In  England,  many  of  the  High  Church  party,  with  Harley, 
afterwards  Earl  of  Oxford,  at  their  head,  affected  to  separate 
their  principles  from  those  of  the  Jacobites,  and,  on  that 
account,  obtained  the  denomination  of  Whimsicals.  The  Scot- 
tish High  Church  party,  on  the  contrary,  or,  as  they  termed 
themselves,  the  Cavaliers,  were  more  consistent,  if  not  so  pru- 
dent, in  their  politics,  and  viewed  all  the  changes  now  made 
as  preparatory  to  calling  to  the  throne,  upon  the  queen's  de- 
mise, her  brother  the  Chevalier  de  St.  George.  Those  who 
had  suffered  in  his  service  now  entertained  the  most  unreason- 
able hopes,  not  only  of  indemnification,  but  of  vengeance  upon 
their  political  adversaries ;  while  families  attached  to  the  Whig 
interest  saw  nothing  before  them  but  a  renewal  of  the  hardships 
they  had  undergone  during  the  reigns  of  Charles  the  Second  and 
his  brother,  and  a  retaliation  of  the  confiscation  which  had  been 
inflicted  upon  the  Jacobites  during  that  of  King  William. 

But  the  most  alarmed  at  the  change  of  system  was  that 
prudential  set  of  persons,  some  of  whom  are  found  in  all  gov- 
ernments, but  who  abound  in  a  provincial  administration  like 
that  of  Scotland  during  the  period,  and  who  are  what  Crom- 
well called  waiters  upon  Providence,  or,  in  other  words,  uni- 
form adherents  to  the  party  who  are  uppermost.  Many  of 
these  hastened  to  read  their  recantation  to  the  Marquis  of 

A ;  and,  as  it  was  easily  seen  that  he  took  a  deep  interest 

in  the  affairs  of  his  kinsman,  the  Master  of  Eavenswood,  they 
were  the  first  to  suggest  measures  for  retrieving  at  least  a  part 
of  his  property,  and  for  restoring  him  in  blood  against  his 
father's  attainder. 

Old  Lord  Turntippet  professed  to  be  one  of  the  most  anxious 
for  the  success  of  these  measures ;  for  "  it  grieved  him  to  the 
very  saul,"  he  said,  "to  see  so  brave  a  yomig  gentleman,  of 
sic  auld  and  undoubted  nobility,  and,  what  was  mair  than  a' 


296  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

that,    a  bluid  relation  of   the  Marquis   of   A ,  the   man 

whom, "  he  swore,  "  he  honoured  most  upon  the  face  of  the 
earth,  brought  to  so  severe  a  pass.  For  his  ain  puir  peculiar," 
as  he  said,  "  and  to  contribute  something  to  the  rehabilitation 
of  sae  auld  ane  house, "  the  said  Turntippet  sent  in  three  fam- 
ily pictures  lacking  the  frames,  and  six  high-backed  chairs, 
with  worked  Turkey  cushions,  having  the  crest  of  Ravens- 
wood  broidered  thereon,  without  charging  a  penny  either  of 
the  principal  or  interest  they  had  cost  him,  when  he  bought 
them,  sixteen  years  before,  at  a  roup  of  the  furniture  of  Lord 
Ravenswood's  lodgings  in  the  Canongate. 

Much  more  to  Lord  Turntippet' s  dismay  than  to  his  sur- 
prise, although  he  affected  to  feel  more  of  the  latter  than  the 
former,  the  Marquis  received  his  gift  very  drily,  and  observed, 
that  his  lordship's  restitution,  if  he  expected  it  to  be  received 
by  the  Master  of  Ravenswood  and  his  friends,  must  compre- 
hend a  pretty  large  farm,  which,  having  been  mortgaged  to 
Turntippet  for  a  very  inadequate  sum,  he  had  contrived,  dur- 
ing the  confusion  of  the  family  affairs,  and  by  means  well  un- 
derstood by  the  lawyers  of  that  period,  to  acquire  to  himself 
in  absolute  property. 

The  old  time-serving  lord  winced  excessively  under  this 
requisition,  protesting  to  God,  that  he  saw  no  occasion  the 
lad  could  have  for  the  instant  possession  of  the  land,  seeing 
he  would  doubtless  now  recover  the  bulk  of  his  estate  from 
Sir  William  Ashton,  to  which  he  was  ready  to  contribute  by 
every  means  in  his  power,  as  was  just  and  reasonable;  and 
finally  declaring,  that  he  was  willing  to  settle  the  land  on  the 
young  gentleman  after  his  own  natural  demise. 

But  all  these  excuses  availed  nothing,  and  he  was  compelled 
to  disgorge  the  property,  on  receiving  back  the  sum  for  which 
it  had  been  mortgaged.  Having  no  other  means  of  making 
peace  with  the  higher  powers,  he  returned  home  sorrowful  and 
malcontent,  complaining  to  his  confidants,  "  That  every  muta- 
tion or  change  in  the  state  had  hitherto  been  productive  of 
some  sma'  advantage  to  him  in  his  ain  quiet  affairs;  but  that 
the  present  had — pize  upon  it ! — cost  him  one  of  the  best  pen- 
feathers  o'  his  wing." 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  297 

Similar  measures  were  threatened  against  others  who  had 
profited  by  the  wreck  of  the  fortune  of  Ravenswood ;  and  Sir 
William  Ashton,  in  particular,  was  menaced  with  an  appeal 
to  the  House  of  Peers,  a  court  of  equity,  against  the  judicial 
sentences,  proceeding  upon  a  strict  and  severe  construction  of 
the  letter  of  the  law,  under  which  he  held  the  castle  and  barony 
of  Ravenswood.  With  him,  however,  the  Master,  as  well  for 
Lucy's  sake  as  on  account  of  the  hospitality  he  had  received 
from  him,  felt  himself  under  the  necessity  of  proceeding  with 
great  candor.  He  wrote  to  the  late  Lord  Keeper,  for  he  no 
longer  held  that  office,  stating  frankly  the  engagement  which 
existed  between  him  and  Miss  Ashton,  requesting  his  permis- 
sion for  their  union,  and  assuring  him  of  his  willingness  to 
put  the  settlement  of  all  matters  between  them  upon  such  a 
footing  as  Sir  William  himself  should  think  favourable. 

The  same  messenger  was  charged  with  a  letter  to  Lady 
Ashton,  deprecating  any  cause  of  displeasure  which  the  Mas- 
ter might  unintentionally  have  given  her,  enlarging  upon  his 
attachment  to  Miss  Ashton,  and  the  length  to  which  it  had 
proceeded,  and  conjuring  the  lady,  as  a  Douglas  in  nature  as 
well  as  in  name,  generously  to  forget  ancient  prejudices  and 
misunderstandings,  and  to  believe  that  the  family  had  ac- 
quired a  friend,  and  she  herself  a  respectful  and  attached 
humble  servant,  in  him  who  subscribed  himself  "  Edgar,  Mas- 
ter of  Ravenswood. " 

A  third  letter  Ravenswood  addressed  to  Lucy,  and  the  mes- 
senger was  instructed  to  find  some  secret  and  secure  means  of 
delivering  it  into  her  own  hands.  It  contained  the  strongest 
protestations  of  continued  affection,  and  dwelt  upon  the  ap- 
proaching change  of  the  writer's  fortunes,  as  chiefly  valuable 
by  tending  to  remove  the  impediments  to  their  union.  He 
related  the  steps  he  had  taken  to  overcome  the  prejudices  of 
her  parents,  and  especially  of  her  mother,  and  expressed  his 
hope  they  might  prove  effectual.  If  not,  he  still  trusted  that 
his  absence  from  Scotland  upon  an  important  and  honourable 
mission  might  give  time  for  prejudices  to  die  away ;  while  he 
hoped  and  trusted  Miss  Ashton' s  constancy,  on  which  he  had 
the  most  implicit  reliance,  would  baffle  any  effort  that  might 


298  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

be  used  to  divert  her  attachment.  Much  more  there  was, 
which,  however  interesting  to  the  lovers  themselves,  would 
afford  the  reader  neither  interest  nor  information.  To  each 
of  these  three  letters  the  Master  of  Ravenswood  received  an 
answer,  but  by  different  means  of  conveyance,  and  certainly 
couched  in  very  different  styles. 

Lady  Ashton  answered  his  letter  by  his  own  messenger,  who 
was  not  allowed  to  remain  at  Eavenswood  a  moment  longer 
than  she  was  engaged  in  penning  these  lines.  "  For  the  hand 
oi  Mr.  Eavenswood  of  Wolf's  Crag — These: 

"  Sir,  unknown  : 

"I  have  received  a  letter,  signed  ^ Edgar,  Master  of  Ea- 
venswood, '  concerning  the  writer  whereof  I  am  uncertain,  see- 
ing that  the  honours  of  such  a  family  were  forfeited  for  high 
reason  in  the  person  of  Allan,  late  Lord  Eavenswood.  Sir,  if 
you  shall  happen  to  be  the  person  so  subscribing  yourself,  you 
will  please  to  know,  that  I  claim  the  full  interest  of  a  parent 
in  Miss  Lucy  Ashton,  which  I  have  disposed  of  irrevocably  in 
behalf  of  a  worthy  person.  And,  sir,  were  this  otherwise, 
I  would  not  listen  to  a  proposal  from  you,  or  smj  of  your 
house,  seemg  their  hand  has  been  uniformly  held  up  against 
the  freedom  of  the  subject  and  the  immunities  of  God's  kirk. 
Sir,  it  is  not  a  flightering  blink  of  prosperity  which  can  change 
my  constant  opinion  in  this  regard,  seeing  it  has  been  my  lot 
before  now,  like  holy  David,  to  see  the  wicked  great  in  power 
and  flourishing  like  a  green  bay -tree ;  nevertheless  I  passed, 
and  they  were  not,  and  the  place  thereof  knew  them  no  more. 
Wishing  you  to  lay  these  things  to  your  heart  for  your  own 
sake,  so  far  as  they  may  concern  you,  I  pray  you  to  take  no 
farther  notice  of  her  who  desires  to  remain  your  unknown  ser- 
vant, 

"Margaret  Douglas, 

"otherwise  Ashton." 

About  two  days  after  he  had  received  this  very  unsatisfac- 
tory epistle,  the  Master  of  Eavenswood,  while  walking  up  the 
High  Street  of  Edinburgh,  was  jostled  by  a  person,  in  whom, 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMEHMOOR.  299 

as  the  man  pulled  off  his  hat  to  make  an  apology,  he  recog- 
nised Lockhard,  the  confidential  domestic  of  Sir  William 
Ashton.  The  man  bowed,  slipt  a  letter  into  his  hand,  and 
disappeared.  The  packet  contained  four  close-written  folios, 
from  which,  however,  as  is  sometimes  incident  to  the  com- 
positions of  great  lawyers,  little  could  be  extracted,  excepting 
that  the  writer  felt  himself  in  a  very  puzzling  predicament. 

Sir  William  spoke  at  length  of  his  high  value  and  regard  for 
his  dear  young  friend,  the  Master  of  Eavenswood,  and  of  his 

very  extreme  high  value  and  regard  for  the  Marquis  of  A , 

his  very  dear  old  friend ;  he  trusted  that  any  measures  that 
they  might  adopt,  in  which  he  was  concerned,  would  be  carried 
on  with  due  regard  to  the  sanctity  of  decreets  and  judgments 
obtained  inforo  contentioso  ;  protesting,  before  men  and  angels, 
that  if  the  law  of  Scotland,  as  declared  in  her  supreme  courts, 
were  to  undergo  a  reversal  in  the  English  House  of  Lords,  the 
evils  which  would  thence  arise  to  the  public  would  inflict  a 
greater  wound  upon  his  heart  than  any  loss  he  might  himself 
sustain  by  such  irregular  proceedings.  He  flourished  much 
on  generosity  and  forgiveness  of  mutual  injuries,  and  hinted 
at  the  mutability  of  human  affairs,  always  favourite  topics 
with  the  weaker  party  in  politics.  He  pathetically  lamented, 
and  gently  censured,  the  haste  which  had  been  used  in  depriv- 
ing him  of  his  situation  of  Lord  Keeper, '  which  his  experience 
had  enabled  him  to  fill  with  some  advantage  to  the  public, 
without  so  much  as  giving  him  an  opportunity  of  explaining 
how  far  his  own  views  of  general  politics  might  essentially 
differ  from  those  now  in  power.  He  was  convinced  the  Mar- 
quis of  A had  as  sincere  intentions  towards  the  public 

as  himself  or  any  man ;  and  if,  upon  a  conference,  they  could 
have  agreed  upon  the  measures  by  which  it  was  to  be  pursued, 
his  experience  and  his  interest  should  have  gone  to  support 
the  present  administration.  Upon  the  engagement  betwixt 
Eavenswood  and  his  daughter,  he  spoke  in  a  dry  and  confused 
manner.  He  regretted  so  premature  a  step  as  the  engagement 
of  the  young  people  should  have  been  taken,  and  conjured  the 

'  This  obviously  cannot  apply  to  Sir  James  Dalrymple,  Lord  Stair,  who 
was  then  dead,  and  had  never  been  deprived  of  any  such  office  {Laing). 


300  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

Master  to  remember  he  had  never  given  any  encouragement 
thereunto ;  and  observed  that,  as  a  transaction  inte^^  minores, 
and  without  concurrence  of  his  daughter's  natural  curators, 
the  engagement  was  inept,  and  void  in  law.  This  precipitate 
measure,  he  added,  had  produced  a  very  bad  effect  upon  Lady 
Ashton's  mind,  which  it  was  impossible  at  present  to  remove. 
Her  son.  Colonel  Douglas  Ashton,  had  embraced  her  prejudices 
in  the  fullest  extent,  and  it  was  impossible  for  Sir  William  to 
adopt  a  course  disagreeable  to  them  without  a  fatal  and  irrec- 
oncilable breach  in  his  family ;  which  was  not  at  present  to 
be  thought  of.  Time,  the  great  physician,  he  hoped,  would 
mend  all. 

In  a  postscript,  Sir  William  said  something  more  explicitly, 
which  seemed  to  intimate  that,  rather  than  the  law  of  Scotland 
should  sustain  a  severe  wound  through  his  sides,  by  a  reversal 
of  the  judgment  of  her  supreme  courts,  in  the  case  of  the  bar- 
ony of  Eav  ens  wood,  through  the  intervention  of  what,  with  all 
submission,  he  must  term  a  foreign  court  of  appeal,  he  him- 
self would  extrajudicially  consent  to  considerable  sacrifices. 

From  Lucy  Ashton,  by  some  unknown  conversance,  the  Mas- 
ter received  the  following  lines :  "  I  received  yours,  but  it  was 
at  the  utmost  risk ;  do  not  attempt  to  write  again  till  better 
times.  I  am  sore  beset,  but  I  will  be  true  to  my  word,  while 
the  exercise  of  my  reason  is  vouchsafed  to  me.  That  you  are 
happy  and  prosperous  is  some  consolation,  and  my  situation 
requires  it  all."     The  note  was  signed  "  L.  A." 

This  letter  filled  Eavenswood  with  the  most  lively  alarm. 
He  made  many  attempts,  notwithstanding  her  prohibition,  to 
convey  letters  to  Miss  Ashton,  and  even  to  obtain  an  inter- 
view; but  his  plans  were  frustrated,  and  he  had  only  the 
mortification  to  learn  that  anxious  and  effectual  precautions 
had  been  taken  to  prevent  the  possibility  of  their  correspond- 
ence. The  Master  was  the  more  distressed  by  these  circum- 
stances, as  it  became  impossible  to  delay  his  departure  from 
Scotland,  upon  the  important  mission  which  had  been  confided 
to  him.     Before  his  departure,  he  put  Sir  William  Ashton's 

letter  into  the  hands  of  the  Marquis  of  A ,  who  observed 

with  a  smile,  that  Sir  William's  day  of  grace  was  past,  and  that 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  301 

he  had  now  to  learn  which  side  of  the  hedge  the  sun  had  got  to. 
It  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  Ravenswood  extorted 
from  the  Marquis  a  promise  that  he  would  compromise  the 
proceedings  in  Parliament,  providing  Sir  William  should  be 
disposed  to  acquiesce  in  a  union  between  him  and  Lucy  Ashton. 

"I  would  hardly,"  said  the  Marquis,  "consent  to  your 
throwing  away  your  birthright  in  this  manner,  were  I  not 
perfectly  confident  that  Lady  Ashton,  or  Lady  Douglas,  or 
whatever  she  calls  herself,  will,  as  Scotchmen  say,  keep  her 
threep;  and  that  her  husband  dares  not  contradict  her." 

"  But  yet, "  said  the  Master,  "  I  trust  your  lordship  will 
consider  my  engagement  as  sacred." 

"Believe  my  word  of  honour,"  said  the  Marquis,  "I  would 
be  a  friend  even  to  your  follies ;  and  having  thus  told  you  my 
opinion,  I  will  endeavour,  as  occasion  offers,  to  serve  you  ac- 
cording to  your  own." 

The  Master  of  Ravenswood  could  but  thank  his  generous 
kinsman  and  patron,  and  leave  him  full  power  to  act  in  all  his 
affairs.  He  departed  from  Scotland  upon  his  mission,  which, 
it  was  supposed,  might  detain  him  upon  the  continent  for  some 
months. 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

Was  ever  woman  in  this  humor  wooed  ? 
Was  ever  woman  in  this  humour  won  ? 
I'll  have  her. 

Richard  III. 

Twelve  months  had  passed  away  since  the  Master  of  Ra- 
venswood's  departure  for  the  continent,  and,  although  his 
return  to  Scotland  had  been  expected  in  a  much  shorter  space, 
yet  the  affairs  of  his  mission,  or,  according  to  a  prevailing 
report,  others  of  a  nature  personal  to  himself,  still  detained 
him  abroad.  In  the  mean  time,  the  altered  state  of  affairs  in 
Sir  Willaim  Ashton 's  family  may  be  gathered  from  the  fol- 
lowing conversation  which  took  place  betwixt  Bucklaw  and 
his  confidential  bottle  companion  and  dependant,  the  noted 
Captain  Craigengelt. 


302  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

They  were  seated  on  either  side  of  the  huge  sepulchral- 
looking  freestone  chimney  in  the  low  hall  at  Girnington.  A 
wood  fire  blazed  merrily  in  the  grate ;  a  round  oaken  table, 
placed  between  them,  supported  a  stoup  of  excellent  claret, 
two  rummer  glasses,  and  other  good  cheer;  and  yet,  with  all 
these  appliances  and  means  to  boot,  the  countenance  of  the 
patron  was  dubious,  doubtful,  and  unsatisfied,  while  the  in- 
vention of  his  dependant  was  taxed  to  the  utmost  to  parry 
what  he  most  dreaded,  a  fit,  as  he  called  it,  of  the  sullen s,  on 
the  part  of  his  protector.  After  a  long  pause,  only  interrupt- 
ed by  the  devil's  tattoo,  which  Bucklaw  kept  beating  against 
the  hearth  with  the  toe  of  his  boot,  Craigengelt  at  last  ven- 
tured to  break  silence.  "  May  I  be  double  distanced,"  said 
he,  "  if  ever  I  saw  a  man  in  my  life  have  less  the  air  of  a 
bridegroom !  Cut  me  out  of  feather,  if  you  have  not  more  the 
look  of  a  man  condemned  to  be  hanged!" 

"My  kind  thanks  for  the  compliment,"  replied  Bucklaw; 
*'  but  I  suppose  you  think  upon  the  predicament  in  which  you 
yourself  are  most  likely  to  be  placed ;  and  pra}^,  Captain  Crai- 
gengelt, if  it  please  your  worship,  why  should  I  look  merry, 
when  I'm  sad,  and  devilish  sad  too?" 

"And  that's  what  vexes  me,"  said  Craigengelt.  "Here 
is  this  match,  the  best  in  the  whole  country,  and  which  you 
were  so  anxious  about,  is  on  the  point  of  being  concluded,  and 
you  are  as  sulky  as  a  bear  that  has  lost  its  whelps." 

"  I  do  not  know, "  answered  the  Laird,  doggedly,  "  whether 
I  should  conclude  it  or  not,  if  it  was  not  that  I  am  too  far 
forwards  to  leap  back." 

"Leap  back!"  exclaimed  Craigengelt,  with  a  well-assumed 
air  of  astonishment,  "  that  would  be  playing  the  back-game 
with  a  witness!  Leap  back!  Why,  is  not  the  girl's  for- 
tune  -" 

"The  young  lady's,  if  you  please,"  said  Hayston,  inter- 
rupting him. 

"  Well — well,  no  disrespect  meant.  Will  Miss  Ashton's 
tocher  not  weigh  against  any  in  Lothian?" 

"Granted,"  answered  Bucklaw;  "but  I  care  not  a  penny 
for  her  tocher ;  I  have  enough  of  my  own. " 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  303 

"And  the  mother,  that  loves  you  like  her  own  child?" 

"  Better  than  some  of  her  children,  I  believe, "  said  Buck- 
law,  "or  there  would  be  little  love  wared  on  the  matter." 

"  And  Colonel  Sholto  Douglas  Ashton,  who  desires  the  mar- 
riage above  all  earthly  things?" 

"  Because, "  said  Bucklaw,  "  he  expects  to  carry  the  county 
of through  my  interest. " 

"  And  the  father,  who  is  as  keen  to  see  the  match  concluded 
as  ever  I  have  been  to  win  a  main?" 

"  Ay, "  said  Bucklaw,  m  the  same  disparaging  manner,  "  it 
lies  with  Sir  William's  policy  to  secure  the  next  best  match, 
since  he  cannot  barter  his  child  to  save  the  great  Ravenswood 
estate,  which  the  English  House  of  Lords  are  about  to  wrench 
out  of  his  clutches." 

"  What  say  you  to  the  young  lady  herself?"  said  Craigen- 
gelt;  "the  finest  young  woman  in  all  Scotland,  one  that  you 
used  to  be  so  fond  of  when  she  was  cross,  and  now  she  consents 
to  have  you,  and  gives  up  her  engagement  with  Ravenswood, 
you  are  for  jibbing.  I  must  say,  the  devil's  in  ye,  when  ye 
neither  know  what  you  would  have  nor  what  you  would  want. " 

"I'll  tell  you  my  meaning  in  a  word,"  answered  Bucklaw, 
getting  up  and  walking  through  the  room ;  "  I  want  to  know 
what  the  devil  is  the  cause  of  Miss  Ashton' s  changing  her 
mind  so  suddenly?" 

"And  what  need  you  care,"  said  Craigengelt,  "since  the 
change  is  in  your  favour?" 

"I'll  tell  you  what  it  is,"  returned  his  patron,  "  I  never 
knew  much  of  that  sort  of  fine  ladies,  and  I  believe  they  may 
be  as  capricious  as  the  devil ;  but  there  is  something  in  Miss 
Ashton' s  change  a  devilish  deal  too  sudden  and  too  serious  for 
a  mere  flisk  of  her  own.  I'll  be  bound,  Lady  Ashton  under- 
stands every  machine  for  breaking  in  the  human  mind,  and 
there  are  as  many  as  there  are  cannon-bits,  martingales,  and 
cavessons  for  young  colts." 

"  And  if  that  were  not  the  case, "  said  Craigengelt,  "  how 
the  devil  should  we  ever  get  them  into  training  at  all?" 

"And  that's  true  too,"  said  Bucklaw,  suspending  his  march 
through  the  dining-room,  and  leaning  upon  the  back  of  a  chair. 


304  WAYERLEY  "NOVELS. 

"And  besides,  here's  Eavenswood  in  the  way  still;   do  you 
think  he'll  give  up  Lucy's  engagement?" 

"To  be  sure  he  will,"  answered  Craigengelt;  "what  good 
can  it  do  him  to  refuse,  since  he  wishes  to  marry  another 
woman  and  she  another  man?" 

"And  you  believe  seriously,"  said  Bucklaw,  "that  he  is 
going  to  marry  the  foreign  lady  we  heard  of?" 

"You  heard  yourself,"  answered  Craigengelt,  "what  Cap- 
tain Westenho  said  about  it,  and  the  great  preparation  made 
for  their  blythesome  bridal." 

"Captain  Westenho,"  replied  Bucklaw,  "has  rather  too 
much  of  your  own  cast  about  him,  Craigie,  to  make  what  Sir 
William  would  call  a  'famous  witness.'  He  drinks  deep, 
plays  deep,  swears  deep,  and  I  suspect  can  lie  and  cheat  a 
little  into  the  bargain;  useful  qualities,  Craigie,  if  kept  in 
their  proper  sphere,  but  which  have  a  little  too  much  of  the 
freebooter  to  make  a  figure  in  a  court  of  evidence." 

"Well,  then,"  said  Craigengelt,  "will  you  believe  Colonel 

Douglas  Ashton,  who  heard  the  Marquis  of  A say  in  a 

public  circle,  but  not  aware  that  he  was  within  ear-shot,  that 
his  kinsman  had  made  a  better  arrangement  for  himself  than 
to  give  his  father's  land  for  the  pale-cheeked  daughter  of  a 
broken-down  fanatic,  and  that  Bucklaw  was  welcome  to  the 
wearing  of  Eavens wood's  shaughled  shoes." 

"Did  he  say  so,  by  heavens!"  cried  Bucklaw,  breaking  out 
into  one  of  those  incontrollable  fits  of  passion  to  which  he  was 
constitutionally  subject;  "if  I  had  heard  him,  I  would  have 
torn  the  tongue  out  of  his  throat  before  all  his  peats  and  min- 
ions, and  Highland  bullies  into  the  bargain.  Why  did  not 
Ashtcn  run  him  through  the  body?" 

"Capot  me  if  I  know,"  said  the  Captain.  "He  deserved 
it  sure  enough;  but  he  is  an  old  man,  and  a  minister  of  state, 
and  there  would  be  more  risk  than  credit  in  meddling  with 
him.  You  had  more  need  to  think  of  making  up  to  Miss 
Lucy  Ashton  the  disgrace  that's  like  to  fall  upon  her  than  of 
interfering  with  a  man  too  old  to  fight,  and  on  too  high  a  stool 
for  your  hand  to  reach  him." 

"  It  shall  reach  him,  though,  one  day, "  said  Bucklaw,  "  and 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  305 

his  kinsman  Kavenswood  to  boot.  In  the  mean  time,  I'll  take 
care  Miss  Ashton  receives  no  discredit  for  the  slight  they  have 
put  upon  her.  It's  an  awkward  job,  however,  and  I  wish  it 
were  ended;  I  scarce  know  how  to  talk  to  her, — but  fill  a 
bumper,  Craigie,  and  we'll  drink  her  health.  It  grows  late, 
and  a  night-cowl  of  good  claret  is  worth  all  the  considering- 
caps  in  Europe." 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

It  was  the  copy  of  our  conference, 
[n  bed  she  slept  not,  for  my  urging  it ; 
At  board  she  fed  not,  for  my  urging  it ; 
Alone,  it  was  the  subject  of  my  theme  ; 
In  company  I  often  glanced  at  it. 

Comedy  of  Errors. 

The  next  morning  saw  Bucklaw  and  his  faithful  Achates, 
Craigengelt,  at  Ravenswood  Castle.  They  were  most  cour- 
teously received  by  the  knight  and  his  lady,  as  well,  as  by 
their  son  and  heir.  Colonel  Ashton.  After  a  good  deal  of 
stammering  and  blushing — for  Bucklaw,  notwithstanding  his 
audacity  in  other  matters,  had  all  the  sheepish  bashfuLness 
common  to  those  who  have  lived  little  in  respectable  society 
— he  contrived  at  length  to  explain  his  wish  to  be  admitted 
to  a  conference  with  Miss  Ashton  upon  the  subject  of  their 
approaching  union.  Sir  William  and  his  son  looked  at  Lady 
A  shton,  who  replied  with  the  greatest  composure,  "  That  Lucy 
would  wait  upon  Mr.  Hayston  directly.  I  hope, "  she  added 
with  a  smile,  "  that  as  Lucy  is  very  young,  and  has  been  late- 
ly trepanned  into  an  engagement  of  which  she  is  now  heartily 
ashamed,  our  dear  Bucklaw  will  excuse  her  wish  that  I  should 
be  present  at  their  interview?" 

"  In  truth,  my  dear  lady, "  said  Bucklaw,  "  it  is  the  very 
thing  that  I  would  have  desired  on  my  own  account;  for  I 
have  been  so  little  accustomed  to  what  is  caUed  gallantry, 
that  I  shall  certainly  fall  into  some  cursed  mistake  unless  I 
have  the  advantage  of  your  ladyship  as  an  interpreter." 

Ic  was  thus  that  Bucklaw,  in  the  perturbation  of  his  embar- 
20 


306  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

rassment  upon  this  critical  occasion,  forgot  the  just  apprehen- 
sions he  had  entertained  of  Lady  Ashton's  overbearing  ascend- 
ency over  her  daughter's  mind,  and  lost  an  opportunity  of 
ascertaining,  by  his  own  investigation,  the  real  state  of  Lucy's 
feelings. 

The  other  gentlemen  left  the  room,  and  in  a  short  time 
Lady  Ashton,  followed  by  her  daughter,  entered  the  apart- 
ment. She  appeared,  as  he  had  seen  her  on  former  occasions, 
rather  composed  than  agitated  j  but  a  nicer  judge  than  he 
could  scarce  have  determined  whether  her  calmness  was  that 
of  despair  or  of  indifference.  Bucklaw  was  too  much  agitated 
by  his  own  feelings  minutely  to  scrutinise  those  of  the  lady. 
He  stammered  out  an  unconnected  address,  confounding  to- 
gether the  two  or  three  topics  to  which  it  related,  and  stopt 
short  before  he  brought  it  to  any  regular  conclusion.  Miss 
Ashton  listened,  or  looked  as  if  she  listened,  but  returned  not 
a  single  word  in  answer,  continuing  to  fix  her  eyes  on  a  small 
piece  of  embroidery  on  which,  as  if  by  instinct  or  habit,  her 
fingers  were  busily  employed.  Lady  Ashton  sat  at  some  dis- 
tance, almost  screened  from  notice  by  the  deep  embrasure  of 
the  window  in  which  she  had  placed  her  chair.  From  this 
she  whispered,  in  a  tone  of  voice  which,  though  soft  and 
sweet,  had  somethmg  in  it  of  admonition,  if  not  command : 
"  Lucy,  my  dear,  remember — have  you  heard  what  Bucklaw 
has  been  saying?" 

The  idea  of  her  mother's  presence  seemed  to  have  slipped 
from  the  unhappy  girl's  recollection.  She  started,  dropped 
her  needle,  and  repeated  hastily,  and  almost  in  the  same 
breath,  the  contradictory  answers :  "  Yes,  madam — no,  my  lady 
— I  beg  pardon,  I  did  not  hear." 

"  You  need  not  blush,  my  love,  and  still  less  need  you  look 
so  pale  and  frightened, "  said  Lady  Ashton,  coming  forward ; 
"we  know  that  maiden's  ears  must  be  slow  in  receiving  a 
gentleman's  language;  but  you  must  remember  Mr.  Hayston 
speaks  on  a  subject  on  which  you  have  long  since  agreed  to 
give  him  a  favourable  hearing.  You  know  how  much  your 
father  and  I  have  our  hearts  set  upon  an  event  so  extremely 
desirable. " 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  307 

In  Lady  Ashton's  voice,  a  tone  of  impressive,  and  even 
stern,  innuendo  was  sedulously  and  skilfully  concealed  under 
an  appearance  of  the  most  affectionate  maternal  tenderness. 
The  manner  was  for  Bucklaw,  who  was  easily  enough  imposed 
upon;  the  matter  of  the  exhortation  was  for  the  terrified 
Lucy,  who  well  knew  how  to  interpret  her  mother's  hints, 
however  skilfully  their  real  purport  might  be  veiled  from 
general  observation. 

Miss  Ashton  sat  upright  in  her  chair,  cast  round  her  a 
glance  in  which  fear  was  mingled  with  a  still  wilder  expres- 
sion, but  remained  perfectly  silent.  Bucklaw,  who  had  in 
the  mean  time  paced  the  room  to  and  fro,  until  he  had  recov- 
ered his  composure,  now  stopped  within  two  or  three  yards 
of  her  chair,  and  broke  out  as  follows :  "I  believe  I  have  been 
a  d— d  fool,  Miss  Ashton;  I  have  tried  to  speak  to  you  as 
people  tell  me  young  ladies  like  to  be  talked  to,  and  I  don't 
think  you  comprehend  what  I  have  been  saying ;  and  no  won- 
der, for  d — n  me  if  I  understand  it  myself!  But,  however, 
once  for  all,  and  in  broad  Scotch,  your  father  and  mother  like 
what  is  proposed,  and  if  you  can  take  a  plain  young  fellow  for 
your  husband,  who  will  never  cross  you  in  anything  you  have 
a  mind  to,  I  will  place  you  at  the  head  of  the  best  establish- 
ment in  the  three  Lothians;  you  shall  have  Lady  Girning- 
ton's  lodging  in  the  Canongate  of  Edinburgh,  go  where  you 
please,  do  what  you  please,  and  see  what  you  please — and 
that's  fair.  Only  I  must  have  a  corner  at  the  board-end  for 
a  worthless  old  playfellow  of  mine,  whose  company  I  would 
rather  want  than  have,  if  it  were  not  that  the  d — d  fellow  has 
persuaded  me  that  I  can't  do  without  him;  and  so  T  hope  you 
won't  except  against  Craigie,  although  it  might  be  easy  to  find 
much  better  company." 

"Now,  out  upon  you,  Bucklaw,"  said  Lady  Ashton,  again 
interposing;  " how  can  you  think  Lucy  can  have  any  objection 
to  that  blunt,  honest,  good-natured  creature.  Captain  Craigen- 
gelt?" 

"Why,  madam,"  replied  Bucklaw,  "as  to  Craigie's  sincer- 
ity, honesty,  and  good-nature,  they  are,  I  believe,  pretty  much 
upon  a  par;  but  that's  neither  here  nor  there — the  fellow 


308  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

knows  my  ways,  and  has  got  useful  to  me,  and  I  cannot  well 
do  without  him,  as  I  said  before.  But  all  this  is  nothing  to 
the  purpose ;  for  since  I  have  mustered  up  courage  to  make  a 
plain  proposal,  I  would  fain  hear  Miss  Ashton,  from  her  own 
lips,  give  me  a  plain  answer." 

"My  dear  Bucklaw,"  said  Lady  Ashton,  "let  me  spare 
Lucy's  bashfulness.  I  tell  you,  in  her  presence,  that  she  has 
already  consented  to  be  guided  by  her  father  and  me  in  this 
matter.  Lucy,  my  love,"  she  added,  with  that  singular  com- 
bination of  suavity  of  tone  and  pointed  energy  which  we  have 
already  noticed — "  Lucy,  my  dearest  love !  speak  for  yourself, 
is  it  not  as  I  say?" 

Her  victim  answered  in  a  tremulous  and  hollow  voice :  "  I 
have  promised  to  obey  you — but  upon  one  condition." 

"  She  means, "  said  Lady  Ashton,  turning  to  Bucklaw,  "  she 
expects  an  answer  to  the  demand  which  she  has  made  upon 
the  man  at  Vienna,  or  Katisbon,  or  Paris — or  where  is  he? — 
for  restitution  of  the  engagement  in  which  he  had  the  art  to 
involve  her.  You  will  not,  I  am  sure,  my  dear  friend,  think 
it  is  wrong  that  she  should  feel  much  delicacy  upon  this  head ; 
indeed,  it  concerns  us  all." 

"  Perf etly  right — quite  fair, "  said  Bucklaw,  half  humming, 
half  speaking  the  end  of  the  old  song — 

"  It  is  best  to  be  off  wi'  the  old  love 
Before  you.  be  on  wi'  the  new. 

But  I  thought,''  said  he,  pausing,  "you  might  have  had  an 
answer  six  times  told  from  Kavenswood.  D — n  me,  if  I  have 
not  a  mind  to  go  fetch  one  myself,  if  Miss  Ashton  will  honour 
me  with  the  commission." 

"By  no  means,"  said  Lady  Ashton;  "we  have  had  the  ut- 
most difficulty  of  preventing  Douglas,  for  whom  it  would  be 
more  proper,  from  taking  so  rash  a  step;  and  do  you  think 
we  could  permit  you,  my  good  friend,  almost  equally  dear  to 
us,  to  go  to  a  desperate  man  upon  an  errand  so  desperate?  In 
fact,  all  the  friends  of  the  family  are  of  opinion,  and  my  dear 
Lucy  herself  ought  so  to  think,  that,  as  this  unworthy  person 
has  returned  no  answer  to  her  letter,  silence  must  on  this^  as 


THE   BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  309 

in  other  cases,  be  held  to  give  consent,  and  a  contract  must 
be  supposed  to  be  given  up,  when  the  party  waives  insisting 
upon  it.  Sir  William,  who  should  know  best,  is  clear  upon 
this  subject;  and  therefore,  my  dear  Lucy " 

"  Madam, "  said  Lucy,  with  unwonted  energy,  "  urge  me  no 
farther ;  if  this  unhappy  engagement  be  restored,  I  have  al- 
ready said  you  shall  dispose  of  me  as  you  will ;  till  then  I 
should  commit  a  heavy  sin  in  the  sight  of  God  and  man  in 
doing  what  you  require." 

"  But,  my  love,  if  this  man  remains  obstinately  silent " 

"  He  will  not  be  silent, "  answered  Lucy ;  ''  it  is  six  weeks 
since  I  sent  him  a  double  of  my  former  letter  by  a  sure  hand." 

"  You  have  not — you  could  not — you  durst  not, "  said  Lady 
Ashton,  with  violence  inconsistent  with  the  tone  she  had  in- 
tended to  assume ;  but  instantly  correcting  herself,  "  My  dear- 
est Lucy, "  said  she,  in  her  sweetest  tone  of  expostulation, 
"how  could  you  think  of  such  a  thing?" 

"No  matter,"  said  Bucklaw;  "1  respect  Miss  Ashton  for 
her  sentiments,  and  I  only  wish  I  had  been  her  messenger 
myself. " 

"  And  pray  how  long.  Miss  Ashton, "  said  her  mother,  ironi- 
cally, "  are  we  to  wait  the  return  of  your  Pacolet — your  fairy 
messenger — since  our  humble  couriers  of  flesh  and  blood  could 
not  be  trusted  in  this  matter?" 

"I  have  numbered  weeks,  days,  hours,  and  minutes,"  said 
Miss  Ashton ;  "  within  another  week  I  shall  have  an  answer, 
unless  he  is  dead.  Till  that  time,  sir,"  she  said,  addressing 
Bucklaw,  "  let  me  be  thus  far  beholden  to  you,  that  you  will 
beg  my  mother  to  forbear  me  upon  this  subject." 

"I  will  make  it  my  particular  entreaty  to  Lady  Ashton," 
said  Bucklaw.  "  By  my  honour,  madam,  I  respect  your  feel- 
ings ;  and,  although  the  prosecution  of  this  affair  be  rendered 
dearer  to  me  than  ever,  yet,  as  I  am  a  gentleman,  I  would 
renounce  it,  were  it  so  urged  as  to  give  you  a  moment's  pain." 

"Mr.  Hayston,  I  think,  cannot  apprehend  that,"  said  Lady 
Ashton,  looking  pale  with  anger,  "  when  the  daughter's  happi- 
ness lies  in  the  bosom  of  the  mother.  Let  me  ask  you,  Miss 
Ashton,  in  what  terms  your  last  letter  was  couched?" 


310  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

"Exactly  in  the  same,  madam,"  answered  Lucy,  "which 
you  dictated  on  a  former  occasion. " 

"When  eight  days  have  clasped,  then,"  said  her  mother, 
resuming  her  tone  of  tenderness,  "  we  shall  hope,  my  dearest 
love,  that  you  will  end  this  suspense." 

"Miss  Ashton  must  not  be  hurried,  madam,"  said  Buck- 
law,  whose  bluntness  of  feeling  did  not  by  any  means  arise 
from  want  of  good-nature ;  "  messengers  may  be  stopped  or 
delayed.  I  have  known  a  day's  journey  broke  by  the  casting 
of  a  foreshoe.  Stay,  let  me  see  my  calendar :  the  twentieth 
day  from  this  is  St.  Jude's,  and  the  day  before  I  must  be  at 
Caverton  Edge,  to  see  the  match  between  the  Laird  of  Kittle- 
girth's  black  mare  and  Johnston  the  meal-monger's  four- 
year-old-colt;  but  I  can  ride  all  night,  or  Craigie  can  bring 
me  word  how  the  match  goes ;  and  I  hope,  in  the  mean  time, 
as  I  shall  not  myself  distress  Miss  Ashton  with  any  further 
importunity,  that  your  ladyship  yourself,  and  Sir  William, 
and  Colonel  Douglas  will  have  the  goodness  to  allow  her  un- 
interrupted time  for  making  up  her  mind." 

"Sir,"  said  Miss  Ashton,  "you  are  generous." 

"As  for  that,  madam,"  answered  Bucklaw,  "I  only  pretend 
to  be  a  plain,  good-humoured  youug  fellow,  as  I  said  before, 
who  will  willingly  make  you  happy  if  you  will  permit  him, 
and  show  him  how  to  do  so." 

Having  said  this,  he  saluted  her  with  more  emotion  than 
was  consistent  with  his  usual  train  of  feeling,  and  took  his 
leave;  Lady  Ashton,  as  she  accompanied  him  out  of  the 
apartment,  assuring  him  that  her  daughter  did  full  justice 
to  the  sincerity  of  his  attachment,  and  requesting  him  to  see 
Sir  William  before  his  departure,  "  since, "  as  she  said,  with  a 
keen  glance  reverting  towards  Lucy,  "  against  St.  Jude's  day, 
we  must  all  be  ready  to  sign  and  seal.''^ 

"  To  sign  and  seal!"  echoed  Lucy  in  a  muttering  tone,  as  the 
door  of  the  apartment  closed — "  to  sign  and  seal — to  do  and 
die!"  and,  clasping  her  extenuated  hands  together,  she  sunk 
back  on  the  easy-chair  she  occupied,  in  a  state  resemblmg 
stupor. 

From  this  she  was  shortly  after  awakened  by  the  boisterous 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  311 

entry  of  her  brother  Henry,  who  clanioronsly  reminded  her  of 
a  promise  to  give  him  two  yards  of  carnation  ribbon  to  make 
knots  to  his  new  garters.  With  the  most  patient  composure 
Lucy  arose,  and  opening  a  little  ivory  cabinet,  sought  out  the 
ribbon  the  lad  wanted,  measured  it  accurately,  cut  it  off  into 
proper  lengths,  and  knotted  it  into  the  fashion  his  boyish 
whim  required. 

"Dinna  shut  the  cabinet  yet,"  said  Henry,  "for  I  must 
have  some  of  your  silver  wire  to  fasten  the  bells  to  my  hawk's 
jesses, — and  yet  the  new  falcon's  not  worth  them  neither;  for 
do  you  know,  after  all  the  plague  we  had  to  get  her  from  an 
eyrie,  all  the  way  at  Posso,  in  Mannor  Water,  she's  going  to 
prove,  after  all,  nothing  better  than  a  rifler :  she  just  wets  her 
singles  in  the  blood  of  the  partridge,  and  then  breaks  away, 
and  lets  her  fly ;  and  what  good  can  the  poor  bird  do  after 
that,  you  know,  except  pine  and  die  in  the  first  heather-cow 
or  whin-bush  she  can  crawl  into?" 

"Eight,  Henry — right — very  right,"  said  Lucy,  mourn- 
fully, holding  the  boy  fast  by  the  hand,  after  she  had  given 
him  the  wire  he  wanted;  "but  there  are  more  riflers  in  the 
world  than  your  falcon,  and  more  wounded  birds  that  seek 
but  to  die  in  quiet,  that  can  find  neither  brake  nor  whin-bush 
to  hide  their  head  in. " 

"Ah!  that's  some  speech  out  of  your  romances, "  said  the 
boy ;  "  and  Sholto  says  they  have  turned  your  head.  But  I 
hear  Norman  whistling  to  the  hawk;  I  must  go  fasten  on  the 
jesses." 

And  he  scampered  away  with  the  thoughtless  gaiety  of 
boyhood,  leaving  his  sister  to  the  bitterness  of  her  owd  reflec- 
tions. 

"It  is  decreed,"  she  said,  "that  every  living  creature,  even 
those  who  owe  me  most  kindness,  are  to  shun  me,  and  leave 
me  to  those  by  whom  I  am  beset.  It  is  just  it  should  be 
thus.  Alone  and  uncounselled,  I  involved  myself  in  these  per- 
ils; alone  and  uncounseUed,  I  must  extricate  myself  or  die." 


312  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 


CHAPTER    XXX. 

What  doth  ensue 
But  moody  and  dull  melancholy, 
Kinsman  to  grim  and  comfortless  despair, 
And  at  her  heel,  a  huge  infectious  troop 
Of  pale  distemperatures,  and  foes  to  life  ? 

Comedy  of  Errors. 

As  some  vindication  of  the  ease  with  which  Bucklaw  (who 
otherwise,  as  he  termed  himself,  was  really  a  very  good-hu- 
moured fellow)  resigned  his  judgment  to  the  management  of 
Lady  Ashton,  while  paying  his  addresses  to  her  daughter,  the 
reader  must  call  to  mind  the  strict  domestic  discipline  which, 
at  this  period,  was  exercised  over  the  females  of  a  Scottish 
family. 

The  manners  of  the  country  in  this,  as  in  many  other  re- 
spects, coincided  with  those  of  France  before  the  Revolution. 
Young  women  of  the  higher  rank  seldom  mingled  in  society 
until  after  marriage,  and,  both  in  law  and  fact,  were  held  to 
be  under  the  strict  tutelage  of  their  parents,  who  were  too  apt 
to  enforce  the  views  for  their  settlement  in  life  without  pay- 
ing any  regard  to  the  inclination  of  the  parties  chiefly  inter- 
ested. On  such  occasions,  the  suitor  expected  little  more  from 
his  bride  than  a  silent  acquiescence  in  the  will  of  her  parents ; 
and  as  few  opportunities  of  acquaintance,  far  less  of  intimacy, 
occurred,  he  made  his  choice  by  the  outside,  as  the  lovers  in 
the  Merchant  of  Venice  select  the  casket,  contented  to  trust 
to  chance  the  issue  of  the  lottery  in  which  he  had  hazarded 
a  venture. 

It  was  not  therefore  surprising,  such  being  the  general  man- 
ners of  the  age,  that  Mr.  Hayston  of  Bucklaw,  whom  dissi- 
pated habits  had  detached  in  some  degree  from  the  best  so- 
ciety, should  not  attend  particularly  to  those  feelings  in  his 
elected  bride  to  which  many  men  of  more  sentiment,  experi- 
ence, and  reflection  would,  in  all  probability,  have  been  equally 
indifferent.  He  knew  what  all  accounted  the  principal  point, 
that  her  parents  and  friends,  namely,  were  decidedly  in  his 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  ^13 

favour,  and  that  there  existed  most  powerful  reasons  for  their 
predilection. 

In  truth,  the  conduct  of  the  Marquis  of  A ,  since  Ea- 

venswood's  departure,  had  been  such  as  almost  to  bar  the 
possibility  of  his  kinsman's  union  with  Lucy  Ashton.  The 
Marquis  was  Ravens  wood's  sincere  but  misjudging  friend;  or 
rather,  like  many  friends  and  patrons,  he  consulted  what  he 
considered  to  be  his  relation's  true  interest,  although  he  knew 
that  in  doing  so  he  run  counter  to  his  inclinations. 

The  Marquis  drove  on,  therefore,  with  the  plenitude  of 
ministerial  authority,  an  appeal  to  the  British  House  of  Peers 
against  those  judgments  of  the  courts  of  law  by  which  Sir 
William  became  possessed  of  Ravens  wood's  hereditary  prop- 
erty. As  this  measure,  enforced  with  all  the  authority  of 
power,  was  new  in  Scottish  judicial  proceedings,  though  now 
so  frequently  resorted  to,  it  was  exclaimed  against  by  the 
lawyers  on  the  opposite  side  of  politics,  as  an  interference 
with  the  civil  judicature  of  the  country,  equally  new,  arbi- 
trary, and  tyrannical.  And  if  it  thus  affected  even  strangers 
connected  with  them  only  by  political  party,  it  may  be  guessed 
what  the  Ashton  family  themselves  said  and  thought  under 
so  gross  a  dispensation.  Sir  William,  still  more  worldly- 
minded  than  he  was  timid,  was  reduced  to  despair  by  the  loss 
by  which  he  was  threatened.  His  son's  haughtier  spirit  was 
exalted  into  rage  at  the  idea  of  being  deprived  of  his  expected 
patrimony.  But  to  Lady  Ashton' s  yet  more  vindictive  temper 
the  conduct  of  Ravenswood,  or  rather  of  his  patron,  appeared 
to  be  an  offence  challenging  the  deepest  and  most  immortal 
revenge.  Even  the  quiet  and  confiding  temper  of  Lucy  her- 
self, swayed  by  the  opinions  expressed  by  all  around  her, 
could  not  but  consider  the  conduct  of  Ravenswood  as  precip- 
itate, and  even  mikind.  "  It  was  my  father, "  she  repeated 
with  a  sigh,  "  who  w^elcomed  him  to  this  place,  and  encour- 
aged, or  at  least  allowed,  the  intimacy  between  us.  Should 
he  not  have  remembered  this,  and  requited  it  with  at  least 
some  moderate  degree  of  procrastination  in  the  assertion  of 
his  own  alleged  rights?  I  would  have  forfeited  for  him  double 
the  value  of  these  lands,  which  he  pursues  with  an  ardour 


314  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

that  shows  he  has  forgotten  how  much  I  am  implicated  in  the 
matter. " 

Lucy,  however,  could  only  murmur  these  things  to  herself, 
unwilling  to  increase  the  prejudices  against  her  lover  enter- 
tained l)y  all  around  her,  who  exclaimed  against  the  steps 
pursued  on  his  account  as  illegal,  vexatious,  and  tyrannical, 
resembling  the  worst  measures  in  the  worst  times  of  the  worst 
Stuarts,  and  a  degradation  of  Scotland,  the  decisions  of  whose 
learned  judges  were  thus  subjected  to  the  review  of  a  court 
composed  indeed  of  men  of  the  highest  rank,  but  who  were 
not  trained  to  the  study  of  any  municipal  law,  and  might  be 
supposed  specially  to  hold  in  contempt  that  of  Scotland.  As 
a  natural  consequence  of  the  alleged  injustice  meditated  tow- 
ards her  father,  every  means  was  restored  to,  and  every  argu- 
ment urged  to  induce  Miss  Ashton  to  break  off  her  engage- 
ment with  Kavenswood,  as  being  scandalous,  shameful,  and 
sinful,  formed  with  the  mortal  enemy  of  her  family,  and  cal- 
culated to  add  bitterness  to  the  distress  of  her  parents. 

Lucy's  spirit,  however,  was  high,  and,  although  unaided 
and  alone,  she  could  have  borne  much:  she  could  have  en- 
dured the  repinings  of  her  father ;  his  murmurs  against  what 
he  called  the  tyrannical  usage  of  the  ruling  party ;  his  cease- 
less charges  of  ingratitude  against  Ravenswood;  his  endless 
lectures  on  the  various  means  by  which  contracts  may  be  voided 
and  annulled;  his  quotations  from  the  civil,  the  municipal,  and 
the  canon  law ;  and  his  prelections  upon  the  'patria  ijotestas. 

She  might  have  borne  also  in  patience,  or  repelled  with 
scorn,  the  bitter  taunts  and  occasional  violence  of  her  broth- 
er. Colonel  Douglas  Ashton,  and  the  impertinent  and  intru- 
sive interference  of  other  friends  and  relations.  But  it  was 
beyond  her  power  effectually  to  withstand  or  elude  the  con- 
stant and  unceasing  persecution  of  Lady  Ashton,  who,  laying 
every  other  wish  aside,  had  bent  the  whole  efforts  of  her  pow- 
erful mind  to  break  her  daughter's  contract  with  Ravenswood, 
and  to  place  a  perpetual  bar  between  the  lovers,  by  effecting 
Lucy's  union  with  Bucklaw.  Far  more  deeply  skilled  than 
her  husband  in  the  recesses  of  the  human  heart,  she  was  aware 
that  in  this  way  she  might  strike  a  blow  of  deep  and  decisive 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  ol5 

vengeance  upon  one  whom  she  esteemed  as  her  mortal  enemy ; 
nor  did  she  hesitate  at  raising  her  arm,  although  she  knew 
that  the  wound  must  be  dealt  through  the  bosom  of  her  daugh- 
ter. With  this  stern  and  fixed  purpose,  she  sounded  every 
deep  and  shallow  of  her  daughter's  soul,  assumed  alternately 
every  disguise  of  manner  which  could  serve  her  object,  and 
prepared  at  leisure  every  species  of  dire  machinery  by  which 
the  human  mind  can  be  wrenched  from  its  settled  determina- 
tion. Some  of  these  were  of  an  obvious  description,  and 
require  only  to  be  cursorily  mentioned;  others  were  charac- 
teristic of  the  time,  the  country,  and  the  persons  engaged  in 
this  singular  drama. 

It  was  of  the  last  consequence  that  all  intercourse  betwixt 
the  lovers  should  be  stopped,  and,  by  dint  of  gold  and  author- 
ity, Lady  Ashton  contrived  to  possess  herself  of  such  a  com- 
plete command  of  all  who  were  placed  around  her  daughter, 
that,  in  fact,  no  leaguered  fortress  was  ever  more  completely 
blockaded;  while,  at  the  same  time,  to  all  outward  appear- 
ance Miss  Ashton  lay  under  no  restriction.  The  verge  of  her 
parents'  domains  became,  in  respect  to  her,  like  the  viewless 
and  enchanted  line  drawn  around  a  fairy  castle,  where  noth- 
ing unpermitted  can  either  enter  from  without  or  escape  from 
within.  Thus  every  letter,  in  which  Ravenswood  conveyed 
to  Lucy  Ashton  the  indispensable  reasons  which  detained  him 
abroad,  and  more  than  one  note  which  poor  Lucy  had  ad- 
dressed to  him  through  what  she  thought  a  secure  channel, 
fell  into  the  hands  of  her  mother.  It  could  not  be  but  that 
the  tenor  of  these  intercepted  letters,  especially  those  of  Ra- 
venswood, should  contain  something  to  irritate  the  passions 
and  fortify  the  obstinacy  of  her  into  whose  hands  they  fell ; 
but  Lady  Ashton 's  passions  were  too  deep-rooted  to  require 
this  fresh  food.  She  burnt  the  papers  as  regularly  as  she 
perused  them ;  and  as  they  consumed  into  vapour  and  tinder, 
regarded  them  with  a  smile  upon  her  compressed  lips,  and  an 
exultation  in  her  steady  eye,  which  showed  her  confidence 
that  the  hopes  of  the  writers  should  soon  be  rendered  equally 
unsubstantial. 

It  usually  happens  that  fortune  aids  the   machinations  of 


316  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

those  who  are  prompt  to  avail  themselves  of  every  chance  that 
offers.  A  report  was  wafted  from  the  continent,  founded,  like 
others  of  the  same  sort,  upon  many  plausible  circumstances, 
but  without  any  real  basis,  stating  the  Master  of  Ravenswood 
to  be  on  the  eve  of  marriage  with  a  foreign  lady  of  fortune 
and  distinction.  This  was  greedily  caught  up  by  both  the 
political  parties,  who  were  at  once  struggling  for  power  and 
for  popular  favour,  and  who  seized,  as  usual,  upon  the  most 
private  circumstances  in  the  lives  of  each  other's  partisans  to 
convert  them  into  subjects  of  political  discussion. 

The  Marquis  of  A gave  his  opinion  aloud  and  publicly, 

not  indeed  in  the  coarse  terms  ascribed  to  him  by  Captain 
Craigengelt,  but  in  a  manner  sufficiently  offensive  to  the  Ash- 
tons.  "He  thought  the  report,"  he  said,  " highly  probable, 
and  heartily  wished  it  might  be  true.  Such  a  match  was 
fitter  and  far  more  creditable  for  a  spirited  young  fellow  than 
a  marriage  with  the  daughter  of  an  old  Whig  lawyer,  whose 
chicanery  had  so  nearly  ruined  his  father. " 

The  other  party,  of  course,  laj'ing  out  of  view  the  opposi- 
tion which  the  Master  of  Eavenswood  received  from  Miss  Ash- 
ton's  family,  cried  shame  upon  his  fickleness  and  perfidy,  as 
if  he  had  seduced  the  young  lady  into  an  engagement,  and 
wilfully  and  causelessly  abandoned  her  for  another. 

Sufficient  care  was  taken  that  this  report  should  find  its 
way  to  Ravenswood  Castle  through  every  various  channel, 
Lady  Ashton  being  well  aware  that  the  very  reiteration  of 
the  same  rumour,  from  so  many  quarters,  could  not  but  give 
it  a  semblance  of  truth.  By  some  it  was  told  as  a  piece  of 
ordinary  news,  by  some  communicated  as  serious  intelligence ; 
now  it  was  whispered  to  Lucy  Ashton' s  ear  in  the  tone  of 
malignant  pleasantry,  and  now  transmitted  to  her  as  a  matter 
of  grave  and  serious  warning. 

Even  the  boy  Henry  was  made  the  instrument  of  adding  to 
his  sister's  torments.  One  morning  he  rushed  into  the  room 
with  a  willow  branch  in  his  hand,  which  he  told  her  had  ar- 
rived that  instant  from  Germany  for  her  special  wearing. 
Lucy,  as  we  have  seen,  was  remarkably  fond  of  her  younger 
brother,  and  at  that  moment  his  wanton  and  thoughtless  un- 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  317 

kindness  seemed  more  keenly  injurious  than  even  the  studied 
insults  of  her  elder  brother.  Her  grief,  however,  had  no  shade 
of  resentment;  she  folded  her  arms  about  the  boy's  neck,  and 
saying  faintly,  "  Poor  Henry !  you  speak  but  what  they  tell 
you, "  she  burst  into  a  flood  of  unrestrained  tears.  The  boy 
was  moved,  notwithstanding  the  thoughtlessness  of  his  age 
and  character.  "  The  devil  take  me, "  said  he,  "  Lucy,  if  I 
fetch  you  any  more  of  these  tormenting  messages  again ;  for 
I  like  you  better, "  said  he,  kissing  away  the  tears,  "  than  the 
whole  pack  of  them ;  and  you  shall  have  my  grey  pony  to 
ride  on,  and  you  shall  canter  him  if  you  like — ay,  and  ride 
beyond  the  village,  too,  if  you  have  a  mind. " 

••'Who  told  you,  said  Lucy,  "that  I  am  not  permitted  to 
ride  where  I  please?" 

"  That's  a  secret,"  said  the  boy ;  *'  but  you  will  find  you  can 
never  ride  beyond  the  village  but  your  horse  will  cast  a  shoe, 
or  fall  lame,  or  the  castle  bell  will  ring,  or  something  will 
happen  to  bring  you  back.  But  if  I  tell  you  more  of  these 
things,  Douglas  will  not  get  me  the  pair  of  colours  they  have 
promised  me,  and  so  good-morrow  to  you." 

This  dialogue  plunged  Lucy  in  still  deeper  dejection,  as  it 
tended  to  show  her  plainly  what  she  had  for  some  time  sus- 
pected, that  she  was  little  better  than  a  prisoner  at  large  in 
her  father's  house.  We  have  described  her  in  the  outset  of 
our  story  as  of  a  romantic  disposition,  delighting  in  tales  of 
love  and  wonder,  and  readily  identifying  herself  with  the  situ- 
ation of  those  legendary  heroines  with  whose  adventures,  for 
want  of  better  reading,  her  memory  had  become  stocked. 
The  fairy  wand,  with  which  in  her  solitude  she  had  delighted 
to  raise  visions  of  enchantment,  became  now  the  rod  of  a  ma- 
gician, the  bond  slave  of  evil  genii,  serving  only  to  invoke 
spectres  at  which  the  exorcist  trembled.  She  felt  herself  the 
object  of  suspicion,  of  scorn,  of  dislike  at  least,  if  not  of  ha- 
tred, to  her  own  family ;  and  it  seemed  to  her  that  she  was 
abandoned  by  the  very  person  on  whose  account  she  was  ex- 
posed to  the  enmity  of  all  around  her.  Indeed,  the  evidence 
of  Kavenswood's  infidelity  began  to  assume  every  day  a  more 
determined  character. 


318  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

A  soldier  of  fortune,  of  the  name  of  Westenho,  an  old  fa- 
miliar of  Craigengelt's,  chanced  to  arrive  from  abroad  about 
this  time.  The  worthy  Captain,  though  without  any  precise 
communication  with  Lady  Ashton,  always  acted  most  regu- 
larly and  sedulously  in  support  of  her  plans,  and  easily  pre- 
vailed upon  his  friend,  by  dint  of  exaggeration  of  real  circum- 
stances and  coining  of  others,  to  give  explicit  testimony  to  the 
truth  of  Ravenswood's  approaching  marriage. 

Thus  beset  on  all  hands,  and  in  a  manner  reduced  to  de- 
spair, Lucy's  temper  gave  way  under  the  pressure  of  constant 
affliction  and  persecution.  She  became  gloomy  and  abstract- 
ed, and,  contrary  to  her  natural  and  ordinary  habit  of  mind, 
sometimes  turned  with  spirit,  and  even  fierceness,  on  those  by 
whom  she  was  long  and  closely  annoyed.  Her  health  also  be- 
gan to  be  shaken,  and  her  hectic  cheek  and  wandering  eye  gave 
symptoms  of  what  is  called  a  fever  upon  the  spirits.  In  most 
mothers  this  would  have  moved  compassion ;  but  Lady  Ash- 
ton,  compact  and  firm  of  purpose,  saw  these  waverings  of 
health  and  intellect  with  no  greater  sympathy  than  that  with 
which  the  hostile  engineer  regards  the  towers  of  a  beleaguered 
city  as  they  reel  under  the  discharge  of  his  artillery ;  or  rather, 
she  considered  these  starts  and  inequalities  of  temper  as  symp- 
toms of  Lucy's  expiring  resolution;  as  the  angler,  by  the 
throes  and  convulsive  exertions  of  the  fish  which  he  has 
hooked,  becomes  aware  that  he  soon  will  be  able  to  land  him. 
To  accelerate  the  catastrophe  in  the  present  case.  Lady  Ashton 
had  recourse  to  an  expedient  very  consistent  with  the  temper 
and  credulity  of  those  times,  but  which  the  reader  will  prob- 
ably pronounce  truly  detestable  and  diabolical. 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  319 


CHAPTER   XXXI. 

In  which  a  witch  did  dwell,  in  loathly  weeds, 

And  wilful  want,  all  careless  of  her  deeds  ; 

So  choosing  solitary  to  abide, 

Far  from  all  neighbours,  that  her  devilish  deeds 

And  hellish  arts  from  people  she  might  hide, 

And  hurt  far  off,  unknown,  whome'er  she  envied. 

Faerie  Queene. 

The  health  of  Lucy  Ashton  soon  required  the  assistance  of 
a  person  more  skilful  in  the  office  of  a  sick-nurse  than  the 
female  domestics  of  the  family.  Ailsie  Gourlay,  sometimes 
called  the  Wise  Woman  of  Bowden,  was  the  person  whom,  for 
her  own  strong  reasons,  Lady  Ashton  selected  as  an  attendant 
upon  her  daughter. 

This  woman  had  acquired  a  considerable  reputation  among 
the  ignorant  by  the  pretended  cures  which  she  performed,  es- 
pecially in  "oncomes,"  as  the  Scotch  call  them,  or  mysterious 
diseases,  which  baffle  the  regular  physician.  Her  pharma- 
copoeia consisted  partly  of  herbs  selected  in  planetary  hours, 
partly  of  words,  signs,  and  charms,  which  sometimes,  per- 
haps, produced  a  favourable  influence  upon  the  imagination 
of  her  patients.  Such  was  the  avowed  profession  of  Luckie 
Gourlay,  which,  as  may  well  be  supposed,  was  looked  upon 
with  a  suspicious  eye,  not  only  by  her  neighbours,  but  even 
by  the  clergy  of  the  district.  In  private,  however,  she  traded 
more  deeply  in  the  occult  sciences ;  for,  notwithstanding  the 
dreadful  punishments  inflicted  upon  the  supposed  crime  of 
witchcraft,  there  wanted  not  those  who,  steeled  by  want  and 
bitterness  of  spirit,  were  willing  to  adopt  the  hateful  and 
dangerous  character,  for  the  sake  of  the  influence  which  its 
terrors  enabled  them  to  exercise  in  the  vicinity,  and  the 
wretched  emolument  which  they  could  extract  by  the  prac- 
tice of  their  supposed  art. 

Ailsie  Gourlay  was  not  indeed  fool  enough  to  acknowledge 
a  compact  with  the  Evil  One,  which  would  have  been  a  swift 
and  ready  road  to  the  stake  and  tar-barrel.     Her  fairy,  she 


320  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

said,  like  Caliban's,  was  a  harmless  fairy.  Nevertheless,  she 
"  spaed  fortunes, "  read  dreams,  composed  philtres,  discovered 
stolen  goods,  and  made  and  dissolved  matches  as  successfully 
as  if,  according  to  the  belief  of  the  whole  neighbourhood,  she 
had  been  aided  in  those  arts  b}^  Beelzebub  himself.  The 
worst  of  the  pretenders  to  these  sciences  was,  that  they  were 
generally  persons  who,  feeling  themselves  odious  to  humanity, 
were  careless  of  what  they  did  to  deserve  the  public  hatred. 
Real  crimes  were  often  committed  under  pretence  of  magical 
imposture ;  and  it  somewhat  relieves  the  disgust  with  which 
we  read,  in  the  criminal  records,  the  conviction  of  these 
wretches,  to  be  aware  that  many  of  them  merited,  as  poison- 
ers, suborners,  and  diabolical  agents  in  secret  domestic  crimes, 
the  severe  fate  to  which  they  were  condemned  for  the  imagi- 
nary guilt  of  witchcraft 

Such  was  Ailsie  Gourlay,  whom,  in  order  to  attain  the  ab- 
solute subjugation  of  Lucy  Ashton's  mind,  her  mother  thought 
it  fitting  to  place  near  her  person.  A  woman  of  less  conse- 
quence than  Lady  Ashton  had  not  dared  to  take  such  a  step; 
but  her  high  rank  and  strength  of  character  set  her  above  the 
censure  of  the  world,  and  she  was  allowed  to  have  selected  for 
her  daughter's  attendant  the  best  and  most  experienced  sick- 
nurse  and  "mediciner"  in  the  neighbourhood,  where  an  in- 
ferior person  would  have  fallen  under  the  reproach  of  calling 
in  the  assistance  of  a  partner  and  ally  of  the  great  Enemy  of 
mankind. 

The  beldam  caught  her  cue  readily  and  by  imiuendo,  with- 
out giving  Lady  Ashton  the  pain  of  distinct  explanation.  She 
was  in  many  respects  qualified  for  the  part  she  played,  which 
indeed  could  not  be  efficiently  assumed  without  some  knowl- 
edge of  the  human  heart  and  passions.  Dame  Gourlay  per- 
ceived that  Lucy  shuddered  at  her  external  appearance,  which 
we  have  already  described  when  we  found  her  in  the  death- 
chamber  of  blind  Alice;  and  while  internally  she  hated  the 
poor  girl  for  the  involuntary  horror  with  which  she  saw  she 
was  regarded,  she  commenced  her  operations  by  endeavouring 
to  efface  or  overcome  those  prejudices  which,  in  her  heart,  she 
resented  as  mortal  offences.     This  was  easily  done,  for  the 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  321 

hag's  external  ugliness  was  soon  balanced  by  a  show  of  kind- 
ness and  interest,  to  which  Lucy  had  of  late  been  little  accus- 
tomed; her  attentive  services  and  real  skill  gained  her  the 
ear,  if  not  the  confidence,  of  her  patient ;  and  under  pretence 
of  diverting  the  solitude  of  a  sick-room,  she  soon  led  her  at- 
tention captive  by  the  legends  in  which  she  was  well  skilled, 
and  to  which  Lucy's  habits  of  reading  and  reflection  induced 
her  to  "lend  an  attentive  ear."  Dame  Gourlay's  tales  were 
at  first  of  a  mild  and  interesting  character — 

Of  faj^s  that  nightly  dance  upon  the  wold, 
And  lovers  doom'd  to  wander  and  to  weep, 
And  castles  high,  Avhere  wicked  wizards  keep 
Their  captive  thralls. 

Gradually,  however,  they  assumed  a  darker  and  more  mys- 
terious character,  and  became  such  as,  told  by  the  midnight 
lamp,  and  enforced  by  the  tremulous  tone,  the  quivering  and 
livid  lip,  the  uplifted  skinny  forefinger,  and  the  shaking  head 
of  the  blue-eyed  hag,  might  have  aj^palled  a  less  credulous 
imagination  in  an  age  more  hard  of  belief.  The  old  Sycorax 
saw  her  advantage,  and  gradually  narrowed  her  magic  circle 
around  the  devoted  victim  on  whose  spirit  she  practised.  Her 
legends  began  to  relate  to  the  fortunes  of  the  Ravenswood 
family,  whose  ancient  grandeur  and  portentous  authority  cre- 
dulitj^  had  graced  with  so  many  superstitious  attributes.  The 
story  of  the  fatal  fountain  was  narrated  at  full  length,  and 
with  formidable  additions,  by  the  ancient  sibyl.  The  proph- 
ec}',  quoted  by  Caleb,  concerning  the  dead  bride  who  was  to 
be  won  by  the  last  of  the  Ravenswoods,  had  its  own  mysteri- 
ous commentary ;  and  the  singular  circumstance  of  the  appari- 
tion seen  by  the  Master  of  Ravenswood  in  the  forest,  having 
partly  transpired  through  his  hasty  inquiries  in  the  cottage 
of  Old  Alice,  formed  a  theme  for  many  exaggerations. 

Lucy  might  have  despised  these  tales  if  they  had  been  re- 
lated concerning  another  family,  or  if  her  own  situation  had 
been  less  despondent.  But  circumstanced  as  she  was,  the 
idea  that  an  evil  fate  hung  over  her  attachment  became  pre- 
dominant over  her  other  feelings;  and  the  gloom  of  supersti- 
tion darkened  a  mind  already  sufficiently  weakned  by  sorrow, 


322  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

distress,  uncertainty,  and  an  oppressive  sense  of  desertion  and 
desolation.  Stories  were  told  by  her  attendant  so  closely  re- 
sembling her  own  in  their  circumstances,  that  she  was  gradu- 
ally led  to  converse  upon  such  tragic  and  mystical  subjects 
with  the  beldam,  and  to  repose  a  sort  of  confidence  in  the 
sibyl,  whom  she  still  regarded  with  involuntary  shuddering. 
Dame  Gourlay  knew  how  to  avail  herself  of  this  imperfect 
confidence.  She  directed  Lucy's  thoughts  to  the  means  of 
inquiring  into  futurity — the  surest  mode  perhaps,  of  shaking 
the  understanding  and  destroying  the  spirits.  Omens  were 
expounded,  dreams  were  interpreted,  and  other  tricks  of  jug- 
glery perhaps  resorted  to,  by  which  the  pretended  adepts  of 
the  period  deceived  and  fascinated  their  deluded  followers.  I 
find  it  mentioned  in  the  articles  of  dittay  against  Ailsie  Gour- 
lay— for  it  is  some  comfort  to  know  that  the  old  hag  was  tried, 
condemned,  and  burned  on  the  top  of  North  Berwick  Law,  by 
sentence  of  a  commission  from  the  privy  council — I  find,  1  say, 
it  was  charged  against  her,  among  other  offences,  that  she  had, 
by  the  aid  and  delusions  of  Satan,  shown  to  a  young  person  of 
quality,  in  a  mirror  glass,  a  gentleman  then  abroad,  to  whom 
the  said  young  person  was  betrothed,  and  who  appeared  in  the 
vision  to  be  in  the  act  of  bestowing  his  hand  upon  another 
lady  But  this  and  some  other  parts  of  the  record  appear  to 
have  been  studiously  left  imperfect  in  names  and  dates,  prob- 
ably out  of  regard  to  the  honour  of  the  families  concerned. 
If  Dame  Gourlay  was  able  actually  to  play  off  such  a  piece  of 
jugglery,  it  is  clear  she  must  have  had  better  assistance  to 
practise  the  deception  than  her  own  skill  or  funds  could  sup- 
ply. Meanwhile,  this  mysterious  visionary  traffic  had  its 
usual  effect  in  unsettling  Miss  Ashton's  mind.  Her  temper 
became  unequal,  her  health  decayed  daily,  her  manners  grew 
moping,  melancholy,  and  uncertain.  Her  father,  guessing 
partly  at  the  cause  of  these  appearances,  and  exerting  a  de- 
gree of  authority  unusual  with  him,  made  a  point  of  banish- 
ing Dame  Gourlay  from  the  castle ;  but  the  arrow  was  shot, 
and  was  rankling  barb-deep  in  the  side  of  the  wounded 
deer. 

It  was  shortly  after  the  departure  of  this  woman,  that  Lucy 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  323 

Ashton,  urged  by  her  parents,  announced  to  them,  with  a  vi- 
vacity by  which  they  were  startled,  '^  That  she  was  conscious 
heaven  and  earth  and  hell  had  set  themselves  against  her 
union  with  Ravenswood ;  still  her  contract, "  she  said,  "  was  a 
binding  contract,  and  she  neither  would  nor  could  resign  it 
without  the  consent  of  Kavenswood.  Let  me  be  assured," 
she  concluded,  "  that  he  will  free  me  from  my  engagement, 
and  dispose  of  me  as  you  please,  I  care  not  how.  When  the 
diamonds  are  gone,  what  signifies  the  casket?" 

The  tone  of  obstinacy  with  which  this  was  said,  her  eyes 
flashing  with  unnatural  light,  and  her  hands  firmly  clenched, 
precluded  the  possibility  of  dispute ;  and  the  utmost  length 
which  Lady  Ashton 's  art  could  attain,  only  got  her  the  priv- 
ilege of  dictating  the  letter,  by  which  her  daughter  required 
to  know  of  Ravenswood  whether  he  intended  to  abide  by  or 
to  surrender  what  she  termed  "  their  unfortunate  engagement." 
Of  this  advantage  Lady  Ashton  so  far  and  so  ingeniously 
availed  herself  that,  according  to  the  wording  of  the  letter, 
the  reader  would  have  supposed  Lucy  was  calling  upon  her 
lover  to  renounce  a  contract  which  was  contrary  to  the  inter- 
ests and  inclinations  of  both.  Not  trusting  even  to  this  point 
of  deception.  Lady  Ashton  finally  determined  to  suppress  the 
letter  altogether,  in  hopes  that  Lucy's  impatience  would  in- 
duce her  to  condemn  Ravenswood  unheard  and  in  absence.  In 
this  she  was  disappointed.  The  time,  indeed,  had  long  elapsed 
when  an  answer  should  have  been  received  from  the  conti- 
nent. The  faint  ray  of  hope  which  still  glimmered  in  Lucy's 
mind  was  well  nigh  extinguished.  But  the  idea  never  for- 
sook her  that  her  letter  might  not  have  been  duly  forwarded. 
One  of  her  mother's  new  machinations  unexpectedly  furnished 
her  with  the  means  of  ascertaining  what  she  most  desired  to 
know. 

The  female  agent  of  hell  having  been  dismissed  from  the 
castle.  Lady  Ashton,  who  wrought  by  all  variety  of  means, 
resolved  to  employ,  for  working  the  same  end  on  Lucy's 
mind,  an  agent  of  a  very  different  character.  This  was  no 
other  than  the  Reverend  Mr.  Bide-the-Bent,  a  Presbyterian 
clergyman,  formerly  mentioned,  of  the  very  strictest  order  and 


324  WAYERLEY  NOVELS. 

the  most  rigid  orthodoxy,  whose  aid  she  called  in,  upon  the 
principle  of  the  tyrant  in  the  tragedy : 

I'll  have  a  priest  shall  preach  her  from  her  faith, 
And  make  it  sin  not  to  renounce  that  vow 
Which  I'd  have  broken. 

But  Lady  Ashton  was  mistaken  in  the  agent  she  had  selected. 
His  prejudices,  indeed,  were  easily  enlisted  on  her  side,  and 
it  was  no  difficult  matter  to  make  him  regard  with  horror  the 
prospect  of  a  union  betwixt  the  daughter  of  a  God-fearing,  pro- 
fessing, and  Presbyterian  family  of  distinction  and  the  heir  of 
a  bloodthirsty  prelatist  and  persecutor,  the  hands  of  whose  fa- 
thers had  been  dyed  to  the  wrists  in  the  blood  of  God's  saints. 
This  resembled,  in  the  divine's  opinion,  the  union  of  a  Moa- 
bitish  stranger  with  a  daughter  of  Zion.  But  with  all  the 
more  severe  prejudices  and  principles  of  his  sect,  Bide-the- 
Bent  possessed  a  sound  judgment,  and  had  learnt  sympathy 
even  in  that  very  school  of  persecution  where  the  heart  is  so 
frequently  hardened.  In  a  private  interview  with  Miss  Ash- 
ton, he  was  deeply  moved  by  her  distress,  and  could  not  but 
admit  the  justice  of  her  request  to  be  permitted  a  direct  com- 
munication with  Kavenswood  upon  the  subject  of  their  solemn 
contract.  When  she  urged  to  him  the  great  uncertainty  under 
which  she  laboured  whether  her  letter  had  been  ever  forward- 
ed, the  old  man  paced  the  room  with  long  steps,  shook  his 
grey  head,  rested  repeatedly  for  a  space  on  his  ivory-headed 
staff,  and,  after  much  hesitation,  confessed  that  he  thought 
her  doubts  so  reasonable  that  he  would  himself  aid  in  the  re- 
moval of  them. 

"  I  cannot  but  opine,  Miss  Lucy, "  he  said,  "  that  your  wor- 
shipful lady  mother  hath  in  this  matter  an  eagerness  whilk, 
although  it  ariseth  doubtless  from  love  to  your  best  interests 
here  and  hereafter,  for  the  man  is  of  persecuting  blood,  and 
himself  a  persecutor,  a  Cavalier  or  Malignant,  and  a  scoffer, 
who  hath  no  inheritance  in  eTesse ;  nevertheless,  we  are  com- 
manded to  do  justice  unto  all,  and  to  fulfil  our  bond  and  cove- 
nant, as  well  to  the  stranger  as  to  him  who  is  in  brotherhood 
with  us.      Wherefore  myself,  even  I  myself,  will  be  aiding 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  525 

unto  the  delivery  of  your  letter  to  the  man  Edgar  Ravens- 
wood,  trusting  that  the  issue  therof  may  be  your  deliverance 
from  the  nets  in  which  he  hath  sinfully  engaged  you.  And 
that  I  may  do  in  this  neither  more  nor  less  than  hath  been 
warranted  by  your  honourable  parents,  I  pray  you  to  tran- 
scribe, without  increment  or  subtraction,  the  letter  formerly 
expeded  under  the  dictation  of  your  right  honourable  mother ; 
and  I  shall  put  it  into  such  sure  course  of  being  delivered, 
that  if,  honourable  young  madam,  you  shall  receive  no  answer, 
it  will  be  necessary  that  you  conclude  that  the  man  meaneth 
in  silence  to  abandon  that  naughty  contract,  which,  peradven- 
ture,  he  may  be  unwilling  directly  to  restore." 

Lucy  eagerly  embraced  the  expedient  of  the  worthy  divine. 
A  new  letter  was  written  in  the  precise  terms  of  the  former, 
and  consigned  by  Mr.  Bide-the-Bent  to  the  charge  of  Saunders 
Moonshine,  a  zealous  elder  of  the  church  when  on  shore,  and 
when  on  board  his  brig  as  bold  a  smuggler  as  ever  ran  out  a 
sliding  bowsprit  to  the  winds  that  blow  betwixt  Campvere  and 
the  east  coast  of  Scotland.  At  the  recommendation  of  his 
pastor,  Saunders  readily  undertook  that  the  letter  should  be 
securely  conveyed  to  the  Master  of  Ravenswood  at  the  court 
where  he  now  resided. 

This  retrospect  became  necessary  to  explain  the  conference 
betwixt  Miss  Ashton,  her  mother,  and  Bucklaw  which  we 
have  detailed  in  a  preceding  chapter. 

Lucy  was  now  like  the  sailor  who,  while  drifting  through 
a  tempestuous  ocean,  clings  for  safety  to  a  single  plank,  his 
powers  of  grasping  it  becoming  every  moment  more  feeble, 
and  the  deep  darkness  of  the  night  only  checkered  by  the 
flashes  of  lightning,  hissing  as  they  show  the  white  tops  of 
the  billows,  in  which  he  is  soon  to  be  engulfed. 

Week  crept  away  after  week,  and  day  after  day.  St.  Jude's 
day  arrived,  the  last  and  protracted  term  to  which  Lucy  had 
limited  herself,  and  there  was  neither  letter  nor  news  of 
Ravenswood, 


326  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 


CHAPTER   XXXII. 

How  fair  these  names,  how  much  unlike  they  look 
To  all  the  blurr'd  subscriptions  in  my  book  ! 
The  bridegroom's  letters  stand  in  row  above, 
Tapering,  yet  straight,  like  pine-trees  in  his  grove  ; 
While  free  and  fine  the  bride's  appear  below, 
As  light  and  slender  as  her  jessamines  grow. 

Crabbe. 

St.  Jude's  day  came,  the  term  assigned  by  Lucy  herself  as 
the  furthest  date  of  expectation,  and,  as  we  have  already  said, 
there  were  neither  letters  from  nor  news  of  Ravenswood.  But 
there  were  news  of  Bucklaw,  and  of  his  trusty  associate  Craig- 
engelt,  who  arrived  earl}'  in  the  morning  for  the  completion 
of  the  proposed  espousals,  and  for  signing  the  necessary  deeds. 

These  had  been  carefully  prepared  under  the  revisal  of  Sir 
William  Ashton  himself,  it  havmg  been  resolved,  on  account 
of  the  state  of  Miss  Ashton' s  health,  as  it  was  said,  that  none 
save  the  parties  immediately  interested  should  be  present  when 
the  parchments  were  subscribed.  It  was  further  determined 
that  the  marriage  should  be  solemnised  upon  the  fourth  day 
after  signing  the  articles,  a  measure  adopted  by  Lady  Ashton, 
in  order  that  Lucy  might  have  as  little  time  as  possible  to 
recede  or  relapse  into  intractability.  There  was  no  appear- 
ance, however,  of  her  doing  either.  She  heard  the  proposed 
arrangement  with  the  calm  indifference  of  despair,  or  rather 
with  an  apathy  arising  from  the  oppressed  and  stupiiied  state 
of  her  feelings.  To  an  eye  so  unobserving  as  that  of  Buck- 
law,  her  demeanour  had  little  more  of  reluctance  than  might 
suit  the  character  of  a  bashful  young  lady,  who,  however,  he 
could  not  disguise  from  himself,  was  complying  with  the 
choice  of  her  friends  rather  than  exercising  any  personal  pre- 
dilection in  his  favour. 

When  the  morning  compliment  of  the  bridegroom  had  been 
paid.  Miss  Ashton  was  left  for  some  time  to  herself;  her 
mother  remarking,  that  the  deeds  must  be  signed  before  the 
hour  of  noon^  in  order  that  the  marriage  might  be  happy. 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  327 

Lucy  suffered  herself  to  be  attired  for  the  occasion  as  the 
taste  of  her  attendants  suggested,  and  was  of  course  splen- 
didly arrayed.  Her  dress  was  composed  of  white  satin  and 
Brussels  lace,  and  her  hair  arranged  with  a  profusion  of  jew- 
els, whose  lustre  made  a  strange  contrast  to  the  deadly  pale- 
ness of  her  complexion,  and  to  the  trouble  which  dwelt  in  her 
unsettled  eye. 

Her  toilette  was  hardly  finished  ere  Henry  appeared,  to 
conduct  the  passive  bride  to  the  state  apartment,  where  all 
was  prepared  for  signing  the  contract.  "  Do  you  know,  sis- 
ter, "  he  said,  "  I  am  glad  you  are  to  have  Bucklaw  after  all, 
instead  of  Ravenswood,  who  looked  like  a  Spanish  grandee 
come  to  cut  our  throats  and  trample  our  bodies  under  foot. 
And  I  am  glad  the  broad  seas  are  between  us  this  day,  for  I 
shall  never  forget  how  frightened  I  was  when  I  took  him  for 
the  picture  of  old  Sir  Malise  walked  out  of  the  canvas.  Tell 
me  true,  are  you  not  glad  to  be  fairly  shot  of  him?" 

"Ask  me  no  questions,  dear  Henry,"  said  his  unfortunate 
sister;  "there  is  little  more  can  happen  to  make  me  either 
glad  or  sorry  in  this  world." 

"  And  that's  what  all  young  brides  say,"  said  Henry  ;  "  and 
so  do  not  be  cast  down,  Lucy,  for  you'll  tell  another  tale  a 
twelvemonth  hence;  and  I  am  to  be  bride's-man,  and  ride 
before  you  to  the  kirk ;  and  all  our  kith,  kin,  and  allies,  and 
all  Bucklaw' s,  are  to  be  mounted  and  in  order;  and  I  am  to 
have  a  scarlet  laced  coat,  and  a  feathered  hat,  and  a  sword- 
belt,  double  bordered  with  gold,  and  jjolnt  d^  Espagne,  and  a 
dagger  instead  of  a  sword ;  and  I  should  like  a  sword  much 
better,  but  my  father  won't  hear  of  it.  All  my  things,  and  a 
hundred  besides,  are  to  come  out  from  Edinburgh  to-night  with 
old  Gilbert  and  the  sumpter  mules;  and  I  will  bring  them  and 
show  them  to  you  the  instant  they  come." 

The  boy's  chatter  was  here  interrupted  by  the  arrival  of 
Lady  Ashton,  somewhat  alarmed  at  her  daughter's  stay.  With 
one  of  her  sweetest  smiles,  she  took  Lucy's  arm  under  her  own, 
and  led  her  to  the  apartment  where  her  presence  was  expected. 

There  were  only  present.  Sir  William  Ashton  and  Colonel 
Douglas  Ashton,   the  last  in  full  regimentals;  'Bucklaw,  in 


328  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

bridegroom  trim ;  Craigengelt,  freshly  equipt  from  top  to  toe 
by  the  bounty  of  his  patron,  and  bedizened  with  as  much  lace 
as  might  have  become  the  dress  of  the  Copper  Captain ;  to- 
gether with  the  Eev.  Mr.  Bide-the-Bent ;  the  presence  of  a 
minister  being,  in  strict  Presbyterian  families,  an  indispen- 
sable requisite  upon  all  occasions  of  unusual  solemnity. 

Wines  and  refreshments  were  placed  on  a  table,  on  which 
the  writings  were  displayed,  ready  for  signature. 

But  before  proceeding  either  to  business  or  refreshment,  Mr. 
Bide-the-Bent,  at  a  signal  from  Sir  William  Ashton,  invited 
the  company  to  join  him  in  a  short  extemporary  prayer,  in 
which  he  implored  a  blessing  upon  the  contract  now  to  be 
solemnised  between  the  honourable  parties  then  present.  With 
the  simplicity  of  his  times  and  profession,  which  permitted 
strong  personal  allusions,  he  petitioned  that  the  wounded 
mind  of  one  of  these  noble  parties  might  be  healed,  in  reward 
of  her  compliance  with  the  advice  of  her  right  honourable 
parents;  and  that,  as  she  had  proved  herself  a  child  after 
God's  commandment,  by  honouring  her  father  and  mother, 
she  and  hers  might  enjoy  the  promised  blessing — length  of 
days  in  the  land  here,  and  a  happy  portion  hereafter  in  a 
better  country.  He  prayed  farther,  that  the  bridegroom 
might  be  weaned  from  those  follies  which  seduced  youth  from 
the  path  of  knowledge ;  that  he  might  cease  to  take  delight 
in  vain  and  unprofitable  company,  scoffers,  rioters,  and  those 
who  sit  late  at  the  wine  (here  Bucklaw  winked  to  Craigen- 
gelt), and  cease  from  the  society  that  causeth  to  err.  A  suit- 
able supplication  in  behalf  of  Sir  William  and  Lady  Ashton 
and  their  family  concluded  this  religious  address,  which  thus 
embraced  every  individual  present  excepting  Craigengelt, 
whom  the  worthy  divine  probably  considered  as  past  all 
hopes  of  grace. 

The  business  of  the  day  now  went  forward:  Sir  William 
Ashton  signed  the  contract  with  legal  solemnity  and  preci- 
sion; his  son,  with  military  nonchalance;  and  Bucklaw,  hav- 
ing subscribed  as  rapidly  as  Craigengelt  could  manage  to  turn 
the  leaves,  concluded  by  wiping  his  pen  on  that  worthy's  new 
laced  cravat. 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  329 

It  was  now  Miss  Ashton's  turn  to  sign  the  writings,  and 
she  was  guided  by  her  watchful  mother  to  the  table  for  that 
purpose.  At  her  first  attempt,  she  began  to  write  with  a  dry 
pen,  and  when  the  circumstance  was  pointed  out,  seemed  un- 
able, after  several  attempts,  to  dip  it  in  the  massive  silver 
ink-standish,  which  stood  full  before  her.  Lady  Ashton's 
vigilance  hastened  to  supply  the  deficiency.  I  have  myself 
seen  the  fatal  deed,  and  in  the  distinct  characters  in  which 
the  name  of  Lucy  Ashton  is  traced  on  each  page  there  is  only 
a  very  slight  tremulous  irregularity,  indicative  of  her  state  of 
mind  at  the  time  of  the  subscription.  But  the  last  signature 
is  incomplete,  defaced,  and  blotted;  for,  while  her  hand  was 
employed  in  tracing  it,  the  hasty  tramp  of  a  horse  was  heard 
at  the  gate,  succeeded  by  a  step  in  the  outer  gallery,  and  a 
voice  which,  in  a  commanding  tone,  bore  down  the  opposi- 
tion of  the  menials.  The  pen  dropped  from  Lucy's  fingers, 
as  she  exclaimed  with  a  faint  shriek :  "  He  is  come — he  is 
come!" 


CHAPTER    XXXIII. 


This  by  his  tongue  should  be  a  Montague ! 
Fetch  me  my  rapier,  boy  ; 
Now,  by  the  faith  and  honour  of  my  kin, 
To  strike  him  dead  I  hold  it  not  a  sin. 

Romeo  and  Juliet. 

Hapdly  had  Miss  Ashton  dropped  the  pen,  when  the  door 
of  the  apartment  fiew  open,  and  the  Master  of  Ravenswood 
entered  the  apartment. 

Lockhard  and  another  domestic,  who  had  in  vain  attempted 
to  oppose  his  passage  through  the  gallery  or  antechamber, 
were  seen  standing  on  the  threshold  transfixed  with  surprise, 
which  was  instantly  communicated  to  the  whole  party  in  the 
stateroom.  That  of  Colonel  Douglas  Ashton  was  mingled  with 
resentment;  that  of  Bucklaw  with  haughty  and  affected  indif- 
ference ;  the  rest,  even  Lady  Ashton  herself,  showed  signs  of 
fear ;  and  Lucy  seemed  stiffened  to  stone  by  this  unexpected 
apparition.     Apparition   it  might  well    be   termed,   for   Ra- 


330  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

venswoocl  had  more  the  appearance  of  one  returned  from  the 
dead  than  of  a  living  visitor. 

He  planted  himself  full  in  the  middle  of  the  apartment,  op- 
posite to  the  table  at  which  Lucy  was  seated,  on  whom,  as  if 
she  had  been  alone  in  the  chamber,  he  bent  his  eyes  with  a 
mingled  expression  of  deep  grief  and  deliberate  indignation. 
His  dark-coloured  riding  cloak,  displaced  from  one  shoulder, 
hung  around  one  side  of  his  person  in  the  ample  folds  of  the 
Spanish  mantle.  The  rest  of  his  rich  dress  was  travel- soiled, 
and  deranged  by  hard  riding.  He  had  a  sword  by  his  side, 
and  pistols  in  his  belt.  His  slouched  hat,  which  he  had  not 
removed  at  entrance,  gave  an  additional  gloom  to  his  dark 
features,  which,  wasted  by  sorrow  and  marked  by  the  ghastly 
look  communicated  by  long  illness,  added  to  a  countenance 
naturally  somewhat  stern  and  wild  a  fierce  and  even  savage 
expression.  The  matted  and  dishevelled  locks  of  hair  which 
escaped  from  under  his  hat,  together  with  his  fixed  and  un- 
moved posture,  made  his  head  more  resemble  that  of  a  marble 
bust  than  that  of  a  living  man.  He  said  not  a  single  word, 
and  there  was  a  deep  silence  in  the  company  for  more  than 
two  minutes. 

It  was  broken  by  Lady  Ashton,  who  in  that  space  partly 
recovered  her  natural  audacity.  She  demanded  to  know  the 
cause  of  this  unauthorised  intrusion. 

"  That  is  a  question,  madam, "  said  her  son,  "  which  I  have 
the  best  right  to  ask ;  and  I  must  request  of  the  Master  of 
Eavenswood  to  follow  me  where  he  can  answer  it  at  leisure." 

Bucklaw  interposed,  saying,  "  No  man  on  earth  should  usurp 
his  previous  right  in  demanding  an  explanation  from  the  Mas- 
ter. Craigengelt, "  he  added,  in  an  undertone,  "  d — n  ye,  why 
do  you  stand  staring  as  if  you  saw  a  ghost?  fetch  me  my 
sword  from  the  gallery." 

"  I  will  relinquish  to  none,"  said  Colonel  Ashton,  "my  right 
of  calling  to  account  the  man  who  has  offered  this  unparalleled 
affront  to  my  family. " 

"  Be  patient,  gentlemen, "  said  Ravenswood,  turning  sternly 
towards  them,  and  waving  his  hand  as  if  to  impose  silence  on 
their  altercation.     "  Tf  you  are  as  weary  of  your  lives  as  I  am, 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  331 

I  will  find  time  and  place  to  pledge  mine  against  one  or  both ; 
at  present,  I  have  no  leisure  for  the  disputes  of  triflers." 

"Trillers!"  echoed  Colonel  Ashton,  haK  unsheathing  his 
sword,  while  Bucklaw  laid  his  hand  on  the  hilt  of  that  which 
Craigengelt  had  just  reached  him. 

Sir  William  Ashton,  alarmed  for  his  son's  safety,  rushed 
between  the  young  men  and  Ravenswood,  exclaiming :  "  My 
son,  I  command  you — Bucklaw,  I  entreat  you — keep  the  peace, 
in  the  name  of  the  Queen  and  of  the  law!" 

"  In  the  name  of  the  law  of  God, "  said  Bide-the-Bent,  ad- 
vancing also  with  uplifted  hands  between  Bucklaw,  the  Colonel, 
and  the  object  of  their  resentment — "  in  the  name  of  Him  who 
brought  peace  on  earth  and  good-will  to  mankmd,  I  implore — 
I  beseech — I  command  you  to  forbear  violence  towards  each 
other!  God  hateth  the  bloodthirsty  man;  he  who  striketh 
with  the  sword  shall  perish  with  the  sword." 

"  Do  you  take  me  for  a  dog,  sir,"  said  Colonel  Ashton,  turn- 
ing fiercely  upon  him,  "  or  something  more  brutally  stupid,  to 
endure  this  insult  in  my  father's  house?  Let  me  go.  Buck- 
law  !  He  shall  account  to  me,  or,  by  Heavens,  I  will  stab  him 
where  he  stands!" 

"  You  shall  not  touch  him  here, "  said  Bucklaw ;  "  he  once 
gave  me  my  life,  and  were  he  the  devil  come  to  fly  away  with 
the  whole  house  and  generation,  he  shall  have  nothing  but 
fair  play." 

The  passions  of  the  two  young  men  thus  counteracting  each 
other  gave  Ravenswood  leisure  to  exclaim,  in  a  stern  and 
steady  voice :  "  Silence! — let  him  who  really  seeks  danger  take 
the  fitting  time  when  it  is  to  be  found ;  my  mission  here  will 
be  shortly  accomplished.  Is  thatyoiiT  handwriting,  madam?" 
he  added  in  a  softer  tone,  extending  towards  Miss  Ashton  her 
last  letter. 

A  faltering  "  Yes"  seemed  rather  to  escape  from  her  lips 
than  to  be  uttered  as  a  voluntary  answer. 

"  And  is  this  also  your  handwriting?"  extending  towards  her 
the  mutual  engagement. 

Lucy  remained  silent.  Terror,  and  a  yet  stronger  and  more 
confused  feeling,  so  utterly  disturbed  her  understanding  that 


332  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

she  probably  scarcely  comprehended  the  question  that  was  put 
to  her. 

"  If  you  design, "  said  Sir  William  Ashton,  "  to  found  any 
legal  claim  on  that  paper,  sir,  do  not  expect  to  receive  any 
answer  to  an  extrajudicial  question." 

"  Sir  William  Ashton, "  said  Eavenswood,  "  I  pray  you,  and 
all  who  hear  me,  that  you  will  not  mistake  my  purpose.  If 
this  young  lady,  of  her  own  free  will,  desires  the  restoration 
of  this  contract,  as  her  letter  would  seem  to  imply,  there  is 
not  a  withered  leaf  which  this  autumn  wind  strews  on  the 
heath  that  is  more  valueless  in  my  eyes.  But  I  must  and  will 
hear  the  truth  from  her  own  mouth ;  without  this  satisfaction 
I  will  not  leave  this  spot.  Murder  me  by  numbers  you  pos- 
sibly may ;  but  I  am  an  armed  man — I  am  a  desperate  man, 
and  I  will  not  die  without  ample  vengeance.  This  is  my  reso- 
lution, take  it  as  you  may.  I  will  hear  her  determination 
from  her  own  mouth;  from  her  own  mouth,  alone,  and  with- 
out witnesses,  will  I  hear  it.  Now,  choose,"  he  said,  draw- 
ing his  sword  with  the  right  hand,  and,  with  the  left,  by  the 
same  motion  taking  a  pistol  from  his  belt  and  cocking  it,  but 
turning  the  point  of  one  weapon  and  the  muzzle  of  the  other 
to  the  ground — ''  choose  if  you  will  have  this  hall  floated  with 
blood,  or  if  you  will  grant  me  the  decisive  interview  with  my 
affianced  bride  which  the  laws  of  God  and  the  country  alike 
entitle  me  to  demand." 

All  recoiled  at  the  sound  of  his  voice  and  the  determined 
action  by  which  it  was  accompanied;  for  the  ecstasy  of  real 
desperation  seldom  fails  to  overpower  the  less  energetic  pas- 
sions by  which  it  may  be  opposed.  The  clergyman  was  the 
first  to  speak.  "In  the  name  of  God,"  he  said,  "receive  an 
overture  of  peace  from  the  meanest  of  His  servants.  What 
this  honourable  person  demands,  albeit  it  is  urged  with  over 
violence,  hath  yet  in  it  something  of  reason.  Let  him  hear 
from  Miss  Lucy's  own  lips  that  she  hath  dutifully  acceded  to 
the  will  of  her  parents,  and  repenteth  her  of  her  covenant  with 
him ;  and  when  he  is  assured  of  this  he  will  depart  in  peace 
unto  his  own  dwelling,  and  cumber  us  no  more.  Alas!  the 
workings  of  the  ancient  Adam  are  strong  even  in  the  regener- 


Now  choose,'  said  Kavenswood,  drawing  his  sword.' 


Lamuiermoor,  Chap,  xixiii.,  p.  332. 


THE  BEIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  333 

ate;  surely  we  should  have  long-suffering  with  those  who, 
being  yet  in  the  gall  of  bitterness  and  bond  of  iniquity,  are 
swept  forward  by  the  uncontrollable  current  of  worldly  pas- 
sion. Let,  then,  the  Master  of  Ravenswood  have  the  inter- 
view on  which  he  insisteth ;  it  can  but  be  as  a  passing  pang 
to  this  honourable  maiden,  since  her  faith  is  now  irrevocably 
pledged  to  the  choice  of  her  parents.  Let  it,  1  say,  be  this : 
it  belongeth  to  my  functions  to  entreat  your  honours'  compli- 
ance with  this  healing  overture." 

"  Never!"  answered  Lady  Ashton,  whose  rage  had  now  over- 
come her  first  surprise  and  terror — "never  shall  this  man 
speak  in  private  with  my  daughter,  the  affianced  bride  of  an- 
other! Pass  from  this  room  who  will,  I  remain  here.  I 
fear  neither  his  violence  nor  his  weapons,  though  some,"  she 
said,  glancing  a  look  towards  Colonel  Ashton,  "  who  bear  my 
name  appear  more  moved  by  them. " 

"For  God's  sake,  madam,"  answered  the  worthy  divine, 
"  add  not  fuel  to  firebrands.  The  Master  of  Ravenswood  can- 
not, I  am  sure,  object  to  your  presence,  the  young  lady's  state 
of  health  being  considered,  and  your  maternal  duty.  I  my- 
self will  also  tarry ;  peradventure  my  grey  hairs  may  turn  away 
wrath." 

"  You  are  welcome  to  do  so,  sir, "  said  Ravenswood ;  "  and 
Lady  Ashton  is  also  welcome  to  remain,  if  she  shall  think 
proper ;  but  let  all  others  depart. " 

"  Ravenswood, "  said  Colonel  Ashton,  crossing  him  as  he 
went  out,  "you  shall  account  for  this  ere  long." 

"When  you  please,"  replied  Ravenswood. 

"  But  I, "  said  Bucklaw,  with  a  half  smile,  "  have  a  prior 
demand  on  your  leisure,  a  claim  of  some  standing. " 

"Arrange  it  as  you  will,"  said  Ravenswood;  "leave  me  but 
this  day  in  peace,  and  I  will  have  no  dearer  employment  on 
earth  to-morrow  than  to  give  you  all  the  satisfaction  you  can 
desire. " 

The  other  gentlemen  left  the  apartment ;  but  Sir  William 
Ashton  lingered. 

"Master  of  Ravenswood,"  he  said,  in  a  conciliating  tone, 
"  I  think  I  have  not  deserved  that  you  should  make  this  scan- 


334  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

dal  and  outrage  in  my  family.  If  you  will  sheathe  your  sword, 
and  retire  with  me  into  my  study,  I  will  prove  to  you,  by 
the  most  satisfactory  arguments,  the  inutility  of  your  present 
irregular  procedure " 

"To-morrow,"  sir — to-morrow — to-morrow,  I  will  hear  you 
at  length,"  reiterated  Ravenswood,  interrupting  him;  "this 
day  hath  its  own  sacred  and  indispensable  business." 

He  pointed  to  the  door,  and  Sir  William  left  the  apartment. 

Ravenswood  sheathed  his  sword,  uncocked  and  returned  his 
pistol  to  his  belt;  walked  deliberately  to  the  door  of  the 
apartment,  which  he  bolted ;  returned,  raised  his  hat  from  his 
forehead,  and  gazing  upon  Lucy  with  eyes  in  which  an  expres- 
sion of  sorrow  overcame  their  late  fierceness,  spread  his  dis- 
hevelled locks  back  from  his  face,  and  said,  "  Do  you  know 
me,  Miss  Ashton?  I  am  still  Edgar  Ravenswood."  She  was 
silent,  and  he  went  on  Avith  increasing  vehemence :  "  I  am 
still  that  Edgar  Ravenswood  who,  for  your  affection,  re- 
nounced the  dear  ties  by  which  injured  honour  bound  him  to 
seek  vengeance.  I  am  that  Ravenswood  who,  for  your  sake, 
forgave,  nay,  clasped  hands  in  friendship  with,  the  oppressor 
and  pillager  of  his  house,  the  traducer  and  murderer  of  his 
father." 

"  My  daughter, "  answered  Lady  Ashton,  interrupting  him, 
"  has  no  occasion  to  dispute  the  identity  of  your  person ;  the 
venom  of  your  present  language  is  sufficient  to  remind  her 
that  she  speaks  with  the  mortal  enemy  of  her  father. " 

"I  pray  you  to  be  patient,  madam,"  answered  Ravens- 
wood ;  "  my  answer  must  come  from  her  own  lips.  Once 
more,  Miss  Lucy  Ashton,  I  am  that  Ravenswood  to  whom  you 
granted  the  solemn  engagement  which  you  now  desire  to  retract 
and  cancel." 

Lucy's  bloodless  lips  could  only  falter  out  the  words,  "It 
was  my  mother." 

"  She  speaks  truly,"  said  Lady  Ashton,  "it  ivas  I  who,  au- 
thorised alike  by  the  laws  of  God  and  man,  advised  her,  and 
concurred  with  her,  to  set  aside  an  unhappy  and  precipitate 
engagement,  and  to  annul  it  by  the  authority  of  Scripture 
itself." 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  335 

''Scripture!"  said  Ravens  wood,  scornfully. 

"  Let  him  hear  the  text, "  said  Lady  Ashton,  appealing  to 
the  divine,  "  on  which  you  yourself,  with  cautious  reluctance, 
declared  the  nullity  of  the  pretended  engagement  insisted  upon 
by  this  violent  man." 

The  clergyman  took  his  clasped  Bible  from  his  pocket,  and 
read  the  following  words :  "  If  a  woman  vow  a  vow  unto  the 
Lord,  and  bind  herself  by  a  bond,  being  in  her  father's  house 
in  her  youth,  and  her  father  hear  her  vow,  and  her  bond  where- 
with she  hath  bound  her  soul,  and  her  father  shall  hold  his 
peace  at  her;  then  all  her  vows  shall  stand,  and  every  vow 
wherewith  she  hath  bound  her  soul  shall  stand." 

"And  was  it  not  even  so  with  us?"  interrupted  Ravens- 
wood. 

"Control  thy  impatience,  young  man,"  answered  the  di- 
vine, "and  hear  what  follows  in  the  sacred  text:  'But  if 
her  father  disallow  her  in  the  day  that  he  heareth,  not  any 
of  her  vows,  or  of  her  bonds  wherewith  she  hath  bound  her 
soul,  shall  stand;  and  the  Lord  shall  forgive  her,  because  her 
father  disallowed  her. '  " 

"And  was  not,"  said  Lady  Ashton,  fiercely  and  triumph- 
antly breaking  in — "  was  not  ours  the  case  stated  in  the  Holy 
Writ?  Will  this  person  deny,  that  the  instant  her  parents 
heard  of  the  vow,  or  bond,  by  which  our  daughter  had  bound 
her  soul,  we  disallowed  the  same  in  the  most  express  terms, 
and  informed  him  by  writing  of  our  determination?" 

"And  is  this  all?"  said  Ravenswood,  looking  at  Lucy. 
"Are  you  willing  to  barter  sworn  faith,  the  exercise  of  free 
will,  and  the  feelmgs  of  mutual  affection  to  this  wretched 
hypocritical  sophistry?" 

"  Hear  him!"  said  Lady  Ashton,  looking  to  the  clergyman — 
"hear  the  blasphemer!" 

"  May  God  forgive  him, "  said  Bide-the-Bent,  "  and  enlighten 
his  ignorance!" 

"  Hear  what  I  have  sacrificed  for  you, "  said  Ravenswood, 
still  addressing  Lucy,  "  ere  you  sanction  what  has  been  done 
in  your  name.  The  honour  of  an  ancient  family,  the  urgent 
advice  of  my  best  friends,  have  been  in  vain  used  to  sway  my 


336  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

resolution;  neither  the  arguments  of  reason  nor  the  portents 
of  superstition  have  shaken  my  fidelity.  The  very  dead  have 
arisen  to  warn  me,  and  their  warning  has  been  despised.  Are 
you  prepared  to  pierce  my  heart  for  its  fidelit}^  with  the  very 
weapon  which  my  rash  confidence  entrusted  to  your  grasp?" 

"Master  of  Kavenswood,"  said  Lady  Ashton,  "you  have 
asked  what  questions  you  thought  fit.  You  see  the  total  in- 
capacity of  my  daughter  to  answer  you.  But  I  will  reply  for 
her,  and  in  a  manner  which  you  cannot  dispute.  Y^ou  desire 
to  know  whether  Lucy  Ashton,  of  her  own  free  will,  desires 
to  annul  the  engagement  into  which  she  has  been  trepanned. 
You  have  her  letter  under  her  own  hand,  demanding  the  sur- 
render of  it;  and,  in  yet  more  full  evidence  of  her  purpose, 
here  is  the  contract  which  she  has  this  morning  subscribed, 
in  presence  of  this  reverend  gentleman,  with  Mr.  Hayston  of 
Bucklaw." 

Ravens  wood  gazed  upon  the  deed  as  if  petrified.  ''  And  it 
was  without  fraud  or  compulsion,"  said  he,  looking  towards 
the  clergyman,  "that  Miss  Ashton  subscribed  this  parch- 
ment?" 

"I  vouch  it  upon  my  sacred  character." 

"This  is  indeed,  madam,  an  undeniable  piece  of  evidence," 
said  Ravenswood,  sternly ;  "  and  it  will  be  equally  unneces- 
sary and  dishonourable  to  waste  another  word  in  useless  re- 
monstrance or  reproach.  There,  madam,"  he  said,  laying 
down  before  Lucy  the  signed  paper  and  the  broken  piece  of 
gold — "  there  are  the  evidences  of  your  first  engagement ;  may 
you  be  more  faithful  to  that  which  you  have  just  formed.  I 
will  trouble  you  to  return  the  corresponding  tokens  of  my  ill- 
placed  confidence;  I  ought  rather  to  say,  of  my  egregious 
folly." 

Lucy  returned  the  scornful  glance  of  her  lover  with  a  gaze 
from  which  perception  seemed  to  have  been  banished ;  yet  she 
seemed  partly  to  have  understood  his  meaning,  for  she  raised 
her  hands  as  if  to  undo  a  blue  ribbon  which  she  wore  around 
her  neck.  She  was  unable  to  accomplish  her  purpose,  but 
Lady  Ashton  cut  the  ribbon  asunder,  and  detached  the  broken 
piece  of  gold,  which  Miss  Ashton  had  till  then  worn  concealed 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  337 

ill  her  bosom;  the  written  counterpart  of  the  lovers'  engage- 
ment she  for  some  time  had  had  in  her  own  possession.  With 
a  haughty  courtesy,  she  delivered  both  to  Ravenswood,  who 
was  much  softened  when  he  took  the  piece  of  gold. 

"  And  she  could  wear  it  thus, "  he  said,  speaking  to  himself 
— "  could  wear  it  in  her  very  bosom — could  wear  it  next  to  her 

heart — even  when But  complaint  avails  not,"  he  said, 

dashing  from  his  eye  the  tear  which  had  gathered  in  it,  and 
resuming  the  stern  composure  of  his  manner.  He  strode  to 
the  chimney,  and  threw  into  the  lire  the  paper  and  piece  of 
gold,  stamping  upon  the  coals  with  the  heel  of  his  boot,  as  if 
to  ensure  their  destruction.  "I  will  be  no  longer,"  he  then 
said,  "  an  intruder  here.  Your  evil  wishes,  and  your  worse 
offices.  Lady  Ashton,  I  will  only  return  by  hoping  these  will 
be  your  last  machinations  against  your  daughter's  honour  and 
happiness.  And  to  you,  madam,"  he  said,  addressing  Lucy, 
"  I  have  nothing  farther  to  say,  except  to  pray  to  God  that 
you  may  not  become  a  world's  wonder  for  this  act  of  wiKul 
and  deliberate  perjury."  Having  uttered  these  words,  he 
turned  on  his  heel  and  left  the  apartment. 

Sir  William  Ashton,  by  entreaty  and  authority,  had  de- 
tained his  son  and  Bucklaw  in  a  distant  part  of  the  castle,  in 
order  to  prevent  their  again  meeting  with  Ravenswood;  but 
as  the  Master  descended  the  great  staircase,  Lockhard  deliv- 
ered him  a  billet,  signed  "  Sholto  Douglas  Ashton, "  request- 
ing to  know  where  the  Master  of  Ravenswood  would  be  heard 
of  four  or  five  days  from  hence,  as  the  writer  had  business  of 
weight  to  settle  with  him,  so  soon  as  an  important  family  event 
had  taken  place. 

"Tell  Colonel  Ashton,"  said  Ravenswood,  composedly,  "I 
shall  be  found  at  Wolf's  Crag  when  his  leisure  serves  him." 

As  he  descended  the  outward  stair  which  led  from  the  ter- 
race, he  was  a  second  time  interrupted  by  Craigengelt,  who, 
on  the  part  of  his  principal,  the  Laird  of  Bucklaw,  expressed 
a  hope  that  Ravenswood  would  not  leave  Scotland  within  ten 
days  at  least,  as  he  had  both  former  and  recent  civilities  for 
which  to  express  his  gratitude. 

"  Tell  your  master, "  said  Ravenswood,  fiercely,  "  to  choose 
22 


338  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

his  own  time.  He  will  find  me  at  Wolf's  Crag,  if  his  pur- 
pose is  not  forestalled." 

^' My  master!"  replied  Craigengelt,  encouraged  by  seeing 
Colonel  Ashton  and  Bucklaw  at  the  bottom  of  the  terrace. 
"  Give  me  leave  to  say  I  know  of  no  such  person  upon  earth, 
nor  will  I  permit  such  language  to  be  used  to  me!" 

"  Seek  your  master,  then,  in  hell !  exclaimed  Kavenswood, 
giving  way  to  the  passion  he  had  hitherto  restrained,  and 
throwing  Craigengelt  from  him  with  such  violence  that  he 
rolled  down  the  steps  and  lay  senseless  at  the  foot  of  them. 
"  I  am  a  fool,  he  instantly  added,  "  to  vent  my  passion  upon 
a  caitiff  so  worthless." 

He  then  mounted  his  horse,  which  at  his  arrival  he  had 
secured  to  a  balustrade  in  front  of  the  castle,  rode  very  slowly 
past  Bucklaw  and  Colonel  Ashton,  raising  his  hat  as  he  passed 
each,  and  looking  in  their  faces  steadily  while  he  offered  this 
mute  salutation,  which  was  returned  by  both  with  the  same 
stern  gravity.  Ravenswood  walked  on  with  equal  delibera- 
tion until  he  reached  the  head  of  the  avenue,  as  if  to  show 
that  he  rather  courted  than  avoided  interruption.  When  he 
had  passed  the  upper  gate,  he  turned  his  horse,  and  looked  at 
the  castle  with  a  fixed  eye ;  then  set  spurs  to  his  good  steed, 
and  departed  with  the  speed  of  a  demon  dismissed  by  the 
exorcist. 


CHAPTER    XXXIV. 

Who  comes  from  the  bridal  chamber? 
It  is  Azrael,  the  angel  of  death, 

Thalaba. 

After  the  dreadful  scene  that  had  taken  place  at  the  castle, 
Lucy  was  transported  to  her  own  chamber,  where  she  remained 
for  some  time  in  a  state  of  absolute  stupor.  Yet  afterwards, 
in  the  course  of  the  ensuing  day,  she  seemed  to  have  recovered, 
not  merely  her  spirits  and  resolution,  but  a  sort  of  flighty 
levity,  that  was  foreign  to  her  character  and  situation,  and 
which  was  at  times  chequered  by  fits  of  deep  silence  and  mel- 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  339 

ancholy  and  of  capricious  pettishness.  Lady  Ashton  became 
much  alarmed  and  consulted  the  family  physicians.  But  as 
her  pulse  indicated  no  change,  they  could  only  say  that  the 
disease  was  on  the  spirits,  and  recommended  gentle  exercise 
and  amusement.  Miss  Ashton  never  alluded  to  what  had 
passed  in  the  state-room.  It  seemed  doubtful  even  if  she  was 
conscious  of  it,  for  she  was  often  observed  to  raise  her  hands 
to  her  neck,  as  if  in  search  of  the  ribbon  that  had  been  taken 
from  it,  and  mutter,  in  surprise  and  discontent,  when  she 
could  not  find  it,  "  It  was  the  link  that  bound  me  to  life." 

Notwithstanding  all  these  remarkable  symptoms,  Lady 
Ashton  was  too  deeply  pledged  to  delay  her  daughter's  mar- 
riage even  in  her  present  state  of  health.  It  cost  her  much 
trouble  to  keep  up  the  fair  side  of  appearances  towards  Buck- 
law.  She  was  well  aware,  that  if  he  once  saw  any  reluctance 
on  her  daughter's  part,  he  would  break  off  the  treaty,  to  her 
great  personal  shame  and  dishonour.  She  therefore  resolved 
that,  if  Lucy  continued  passive,  the  marriage  should  take 
place  upon  the  day  that  had  been  previously  fixed,  trusting 
that  a  change  of  place,  of  situation,  and  of  character  would 
operate  a  more  speedy  and  effectual  cure  upon  the  unsettled 
spirits  of  her  daughter  than  could  be  attained  by  the  slow 
measures  which  the  medical  men  recommended.  Sir  William 
Ashton' s  views  of  family  aggrandisement,  and  his  desire  to 
strengthen  himself  against  the  measures  of  the  Marquis  of 

A ,  readily  induced  him  to  acquiesce  in  what  he  could 

not  have  perhaps  resisted  if  willing  to  do  so.  As  for  the 
young  men,  Bucklaw  and  Colonel  Ashton,  they  protested  that, 
after  what  had  happened,  it  would  be  most  dishonourable  to 
postpone  for  a  single  hour  the  time  appointed  for  the  marriage, 
as  it  would  be  generally  ascribed  to  their  being  intimidated 
by  the  intrusive  visit  and  threats  of  Ravenswood. 

Bucklaw  would  indeed  have  been  incapable  of  such  precipi- 
tation, had  he  been  aware  of  the  state  of  Miss  Ashton' s  health, 
or  rather  of  her  mind.  But  custom,  upon  these  occasions, 
permitted  only  brief  and  sparing  intercourse  between  the 
bridegroom  and  the  betrothed;  a  circumstance  so  well  im- 
proved by  Lady  Ashton,  that  Bucklaw  neither  saw  nor  sus- 


340  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

pected  the  real  state  of  the  health  and  feelings  of  his  unhappy 
bride. 

On  the  eve  of  the  bridal  day,  Lucy  appeared  to  have  one  of 
her  fits  of  levity,  and  surveyed  with  a  degree  of  girlish  inter- 
est the  various  preparations  of  dress,  etc.,  etc.,  which  the 
different  members  of  the  family  had  prepared  for  the  oc- 
casion. 

The  morning  dawned  bright  and  cheerily.  The  bridal 
guests  assembled  in  gallant  troops  from  distant  quarters. 
Not  only  the  relations  of  Sir  William  Ashton,  and  the  still 
more  dignified  connexions  of  his  lady,  together  with  the  nu- 
merous kinsmen  and  allies  of  the  bridegroom,  Avere  present 
upon  this  joyful  ceremony,  gallantly  mounted,  arrayed,  and 
caparisoned,  but  almost  every  Presbyterian  family  of  distinc- 
tion within  fifty  miles  made  a  point  of  attendance  upon  an 
occasion  which  was  considered  as  giving  a  sort  of  triumph 

over  the  Marquis  of  A ,   in  the  person  of  his  kinsman. 

Splendid  refreshments  awaited  the  guests  on  their  arrival, 
and  after  these  were  finished,  the  cry  was  "To  horse."  The 
bride  was  led  forth  betwixt  her  brother  Henry  and  her  mother. 
Her  gaiety  of  the  preceding  day  had  given  rise  [place]  to  a  deep 
shade  of  melancholy,  which,  hoAvever,  did  not  misbecome  an 
occasion  so  momentous.  There  Avas  a  light  in  her  eyes  and 
a  colour  in  her  cheek  Avhich  had  not  been  kindled  for  many  a 
day,  and  which,  joined  to  her  great  beauty,  and  the  splendour 
of  her  dress,  occasioned  her  entrance  to  be  greeted  with  an 
universal  murmur  of  applause,  in  AA'hich  even  the  ladies  could 
not  refrain  from  joining.  While  the  cavalcade  were  getting 
to  horse.  Sir  William  Ashton,  a  man  of  peace  and  of  form, 
censured  his  son  Henry  for  having  begirt  himself  Avith  a  mili- 
tary sword  of  preposterous  length,  belonging  to  his  brother, 
Colonel  Ashton. 

"If  you  must  have  a  weapon,"  he  said,  "upon  such  a 
peaceful  occasion,  A\^hy  did  you  not  use  the  short  poniard  sent 
from  Edinburgh  on  purpose?" 

The  boy  vindicated  himself  by  saying  it  was  lost. 

"  You  put  it  out  of  the  way  yourself,  I  suppose, "  said  his 
father^  "out  of  ambition  to  wear  that  preposterous   thing, 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  341 

which  might  have  served  Sir  William  Wallace.  But  never 
mind,  get  to  horse  now,  and  take  care  of  your  sister." 

The  boy  did  so,  and  was  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  gallant 
train.  At  the  time,  he  was  too  full  of  his  own  appearance, 
his  sword,  his  laced  cloak,  his  feathered  hat,  and  his  managed 
horse,  to  pay  much  regard  to  anything  else;  but  he  afterwards 
remembered  to  the  hour  of  his  death,  that  when  the  hand  of 
his  sister,  by  which  she  supported  herself  on  the  pillion  be- 
hind him,  touched  his  own,  it  felt  as  wet  and  cold  as  sepul- 
chral marble. 

Glancing  wide  over  hill  and  dale,  the  fair  bridal  procession 
at  last  reached  the  parish  church,  which  they  nearly  filled; 
for,  besides  domestics,  above  a  hundred  gentlemen  and  ladies 
were  present  upon  the  occasion.  The  marriage  ceremony  was 
performed  according  to  the  rites  of  the  Presbyterian  persua- 
sion, to  which  Bucklaw  of  late  had  judged  it  proper  to  conform. 

On  the  outside  of  the  church,  a  liberal  dole  was  distributed 
to  the  poor  of  the  neighbouring  parishes,  under  the  direction 
of  Johnie  Mortheuch  [Mortsheugh],  who  had  lately  been  pro- 
moted from  his  desolate  quarters  at  the  Hermitage  to  fill  the 
more  eligible  situation  of  sexton  at  the  parish  church  of  Ra- 
venswood.  Dame  Gourlay,  with  two  of  her  contemporaries, 
the  same  who  assisted  at  Alice's  late-wake,  seated  apart  upon 
a  flat  monument,  or  "  through-stane, "  sate  enviously  compar- 
ing the  shares  which  had  been  allotted  to  them  in  dividing 
the  dole. 

"Johnie  Mortheuch,"  said  Annie  W^innie,  "might  hae 
minded  auld  lang  syne,  and  thought  of  his  auld  kimmers,  for 
as  braw  as  he  is  with  his  new  black  coat.  I  hae  gotten  but 
five  herring  instead  o'  sax,  and  this  disna  look  like  a  gude 
saxpennys,  and  I  dare  say  this  bit  morsel  o'  beef  is  an  unce 
lighter  than  ony  that's  been  dealt  round;  and  it's  a  bit  o'  the 
tenony  hough,  mair  by  token  that  yours,  Maggie,  is  out  o' 
the  back-sey." 

"Mine,  quo'  she!"  mumbled  the  paralytic  hag — "mine  is 
half  banes,  I  trow.  If  grit  folk  gie  poor  bodies  ony  thing  for 
coming  to  their  weddings  and  burials,  it  suld  be  something 
that  wad  do  them  gude,  I  think." 


342  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

"  Their  gifts,  said  Ailsie  Gourlay,  "  are  dealt  for  nae  love 
of  us,  nor  out  of  respect  for  whether  we  feed  or  starve.  They 
wad  gie  us  whinstanes  for  loaves,  if  it  would  serve  their  ain 
vanity,  and  yet  they  expect  us  to  be  as  gratefu',  as  they  ca' 
it,  as  if  they  served  us  for  true  love  and  liking." 

"And  that's  truly  said,"  answered  her  companion. 

"  But,  Ailsie  Gourlay,  ye' re  the  auldest  o'  us  three — did  ye 
ever  see  a  mair  grand  bridal?" 

"  I  winna  say  that  I  have,"  auswered  the  hag;  "  but  I  think 
soon  to  see  as  braw  a  burial." 

"And  that  wad  please  me  as  weel,"  said  Annie  Winnie; 
"for  there's  as  large  a  dole,  and  folk  are  no  obliged  to  girn 
and  laugh,  and  mak  murgeons,  and  wish  joy  to  these  hellicat 
quality,  that  lord  it  ower  us  like  brute  beasts.  I  like  to  pack 
the  dead-dole  in  my  lap  and  rin  ower  my  auld  rhyme — 

My  loaf  in  my  lap,  my  penny  in  my  purse, 

Thou  art  ne'er  the  better,  and  I'm  ne'er  the  worse."  * 

"That's  right,  Annie,"  said  the  paralytic  woman;  "God 
send  us  a  green  Yule  and  a  fat  kirkyard!" 

"  But  I  wad  like  to  ken,  Luckie  Gourlay,  for  ye' re  the  auld- 
est and  wisest  amang  us,  whilk  o'  these  revellers'  turn  it  will 
be  to  be  streikit  first?" 

"D'ye  see  yon  dandilly  maiden,"  said  Dame  Gourlay,  "a' 
glistenin'  wi'  gowd  and  jewels,  that  they  are  lifting  up  on  the 
white  horse  behind  that  hare-brained  callant  in  scarlet,  wi'  the 
lang  sword  at  his  side?" 

"  But  that's  the  bride!"  said  her  companion,  her  cold  heart 
touched  with  some  sort  of  compassion — "  that's  the  very  bride 
hersell!  Eh,  whow!  sae  young,  sae  braw,  and  sae  bonny — 
and  is  her  time  sae  short?" 

"  I  tell  ye, "  said  the  sibyl,  "  her  winding  sheet  is  up  as  high 
as  her  throat  already,  believe  it  wha  list.  Her  sand  has  but 
few  grains  to  rin  out;  and  nae  wonder — they've  been  weel 
shaken.  The  leaves  are  withering  fast  on  the  trees,  but 
she'll  never  see  the  Martinmas  wind  gar  them  dance  in  swirls 
like  the  fairy  rings." 

*  See  Curing  by  Charms.    Note  11. 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  343 

"  Ye  waited  on  her  for  a  quarter, ''  said  the  paralytic  woman, 
"  and  got  twa  red  pieces,  or  I  am  far  beguiled?" 

"  Ay,  ay, "  answered  Ailsie,  with  a  bitter  grin ;  "  and  Sir 
William  Ashton  promised  me  a  bonny  red  gown  to  the  boot  o' 
that — a  stake,  and  a  chain,  and  a  tar-barrel,  lass !  what  think 
ye  o'  that  for  a  propine? — for  being  up  early  and  doun  late  for 
fourscore  nights  and  mair  wi'  his  dwining  daughter.  But  he 
may  keep  it  for  his  ain  leddy,  cummers." 

"  I  hae  heard  a  sough, "  said  Annie  Winnie,  "  as  if  Leddy 
Ashton  was  nae  canny  body." 

"  D'ye  see  her  yonder,"  said  Dame  Gourlay,  "  as  she  prances 
on  her  grey  gelding  out  at  the  kirkyard?  There's  mair  o' 
utter  deevilry  in  that  woman,  as  brave  and  fair-fashioned  as 
she  rides  yonder,  than  in  a'  the  Scotch  witches  that  ever  flew 
by  moonlight  ower  North  Berwick  Law." 

"What's  that  ye  say  about  witches,  ye  damned  hags?"  said 
Johnie  Mortheuch  [Mortsheugh] ;  "  are  ye  casting  yer  cantrips 
in  the  very  kirkyard,  to  mischieve  the  bride  and  bridegroom? 
Get  awa'  hame,  for  if  I  tak  my  souple  t'ye,  I'll  gar  ye  find 
the  road  faster  than  ye  wad  like." 

"Hegh,  sirs!"  answered  Ailsie  Gourlay;  "how  bra'  are  we 
wi'  our  new  black  coat  and  our  weel-pouthered  head,  as  if 
we  had  never  kenn'd  hunger  nor  thirst  oursells!  and  we'll  be 
screwing  up  our  bit  fiddle,  doubtless,  in  the  ha'  the  night, 
amang  a'  the  other  elbo' -jiggers  for  miles  round.  Let's  see 
if  the  pins  hand,  Johnie — that's  a',  lad." 

"I  take  ye  a'  to  witness,  gude  people,"  said  Mortheuch, 
"  that  she  threatens  me  wi'  mischief,  and  forespeaks  me.  If 
ony  thing  but  gude  happens  to  me  or  my  fiddle  this  night,  I'll 
make  it  the  blackest  night's  job  she  ever  stirred  in.  I'll  hae 
her  before  presbytery  and  synod:  I'm  half  a  minister  mysell, 
now  that  I'm  a  bedral  in  an  inhabited  parish." 

Although  the  mutual  hatred  betwixt  these  hags  and  the  rest 
of  mankind  had  steeled  their  hearts  against  all  impressions  of 
festivity,  this  was  by  no  means  the  case  with  the  multitude  at 
large.  The  splendour  of  the  bridal  retinue,  tlie  gay  dresses, 
the  spirited  horses,  the  blythesome  appearance  of  the  hand- 
some women  and  gallant  gentlemen  assembled  upon  the  occa- 


344  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

sion,  had  the  usual  effect  upon  the  minds  of  the  populace.  The 
repeated  shouts  of  "  Ashton  and  Bucklaw  for  ever!"  the  dis- 
charge of  pistols,  guns,  and  musketoons,  to  give  what  was 
called  the  bridal  shot,  evinced  the  interest  the  people  took  in 
the  occasion  of  the  cavalcade,  as  they  accompanied  it  upon 
their  return  to  the  castle.  If  there  was  here  and  there  an 
elder  peasant  or  his  wife  who  sneered  at  the  popm  of  tlie  up- 
start family,  and  remembered  the  days  of  the  long-descended 
Ravenswoods,  even  they,  attracted  by  the  plentiful  cheer 
which  the  castle  that  day  afforded  to  rich  and  poor,  held  their 
way  thither,  and  acknowledged,  notwithstanding  their  preju- 
dices, the  influence  of  V Amj^thitrion  ou  Von  dhie. 

Thus  accompanied  with  the  attendance  both  of  rich  and 
poor,  Lucy  returned  to  her  father^ s  house.  Bucklaw  used  his 
privilege  of  riding  next  to  the  bride,  but,  new  to  such  a  situ- 
ation, rather  endeavoured  to  attract  attention  by  the  display 
of  his  person  and  horsemanship,  than  by  any  attempt  to  ad- 
dress her  in  private.  They  reached  the  castle  in  safety,  amid 
a  thousand  joyous  acclamations. 

It  is  well  known  that  the  weddings  ol  ancient  days  were 
celebrated  with  a  festive  publicity  rejected  by  the  delicacy  of 
modern  times.  The  marriage  guests,  on  the  present  occasion, 
were  regaled  with  a  banquet  of  unbounded  profusion,  the  relics 
of  which,  after  the  domestics  had  feasted  in  their  turn,  were 
distributed  among  the  shouting  crowd,  with  as  many  barrels  of 
ale  as  made  the  hilarity  without  correspond  to  that  within  the 
castle.  The  gentlemen,  according  to  the  fashion  of  the  times, 
indulged,  for  the  most  part,  in  deep  draughts  of  the  richest 
wines,  while  the  ladies,  prepared  for  the  ball  which  always 
closed  a  bridal  entertainment,  impatiently  expected  their  ar- 
rival in  the  state  gallery.  At  length  the  social  party  broke 
up  at  a  late  hour,  and  the  gentlemen  crowded  into  the  saloon, 
where,  enlivened  by  wine  and  the  joyful  occasion,  they  laid 
aside  their  swords  and  handed  their  impatient  partners  to  the 
floor.  The  music  already  rung  from  the  gallery,  along  the 
fretted  roof  of  the  ancient  state  apartment.  According  to 
strict  etiquette,  the  bride  ought  to  have  opened  the  ball;  but 
Lady  Ashton,  making  an  apology  on  account  of  her  daugh- 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  345 

ter's  health,  offered  her  own  hand  to  Bucklaw  as  substitute 
for  her  daughter's. 

But  as  Lady  Ashton  raised  her  head  gracefully,  expecting 
the  strain  at  which  she  was  to  begin  the  dance,  she  was  so 
much  struck  by  an  unexpected  alteration  in  the  ornaments  of 
the  apartment  that  she  was  surprised  into  an  exclamation, 
"  \Yho  has  dared  to  change  the  pictures?" 

All  looked  up,  and  those  who  knew  the  usual  state  of  the 
apartment  observed,  with  surprise,  that  the  picture  of  Sir 
^'illiam  Ashton 's  father  was  removed  from  its  place,  and  in 
its  stead  that  of  old  Sir  Malise  Ravenswood  seemed  to  frown 
wrath  and  vengeance  upon  the  party  assembled  below.  The 
exchange  must  have  been  made  while  the  apartments  were 
empty,  but  had  not  been  observed  until  the  torches  and  lights 
in  the  sconces  were  kindled  for  the  ball.  The  haughty  and 
her.':ed  spirits  of  the  gentlemen  led  them  to  demand  an  imme- 
diate inquiry  into  the  cause  of  what  they  deemed  an  affront 
to  their  host  and  to  themselves ;  but  Lady  Ashton,  recovering 
herself,  passed  it  over  as  the  freak  of  a  crazy  wench  who  was 
maintained  about  the  castle,  and  whose  susceptible  imagina- 
tion had  been  observed  to  be  much  affected  by  the  stories 
which  Dame  Gourlay  delighted  to  tell  concerning  "  the  former 
family,"  so  Lady  Ashton  named  the  Ravenswoods.  The  ob- 
noxious picture  was  immediately  removed,  and  the  ball  was 
opened  by  Lady  Ashton,  with  a  grace  and  dignity  which  sup- 
plied the  charms  of  youth,  and  almost  verified  the  extrava- 
gant encomiums  of  the  elder  part  of  the  company,  who  ex- 
tolled her  performance  as  far  exceeding  the  dancing  of  the 
rising  generation. 

When  Lady  Ashton  sat  down,  she  was  not  surprised  to  find 
that  her  daughter  had  left  the  apartment,  and  she  herself  fol- 
lowed, aeger  to  obviate  any  impression  which  might  have  been 
made  upon  her  nerves  by  an  incident  so  likely  to  affect  them 
as  the  mysterious  transposition  of  the  portraits.  Apparently 
she  found  her  apprehensions  groundless,  for  she  returned  in 
about  an  hour,  and  whispered  the  bridegroom,  who  extricated 
himself  from  the  dancers,  and  vanished  from  the  apartment. 
The  instruments  now  played  their  loudest  strains ;  the  dancers 


346  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

pursued  their  exercise  with  all  the  enthusiasm  inspired  by 
youth,  mirth,  and  high  spirits,  when  a  cry  was  heard  so  shrill 
and  piercing  as  at  once  to  arrest  the  dance  and  the  music.  All 
stood  motionless ;  but  when  the  yell  was  again  repeated,  Colo- 
nel Ashton  snatched  a  torch  from  the  sconce,  and  demanding 
the  key  of  the  bridal-chamber  from  Henry,  to  whom,  as  bride's- 
man,  it  had  been  entrusted,  rushed  thither,  followed  by  Sir 
William  and  Lady  Ashton,  and  one  or  two  others,  near  rela- 
tions of  the  family.  The  bridal  guests  waited  their  return  in 
stupified  amazement. 

Arrived  at  the  door  of  the  apartment.  Colonel  Ashton 
knocked  and  called,  but  received  no  answer  except  stifled 
groans.  He  hesitated  no  longer  to  open  the  door  of  the 
apartment,  in  which  he  found  opposition  from  something 
which  lay  against  it.  When  he  had  succeeded  in  opening  it, 
the  body  of  the  bridegroom  was  found  lying  on  the  threshold 
of  the  bridal  chamber,  and  all  around  was  flooded  with  blood. 
A  cry  of  surprise  and  horror  was  raised  by  all  present ;  and 
the  company,  excited  by  this  new  alarm,  began  to  rush  tu- 
multuously  towards  the  sleeping  apartment.  Colonel  Ashton, 
first  whispering  to  his  mother,  "  Search  for  her ;  she  has 
murdered  him!"  drew  his  sword,  planted  himself  in  the  pas- 
sage, and  declared  he  would  suffer  no  man  to  pass  excepting 
the  clergyman  and  a  medical  person  present.  By  their  as- 
sistance, Bucklaw,  who  still  breathed,  was  raised  from  the 
ground,  and  transported  to  another  apartment,  where  his 
friends,  full  of  suspicion  and  murmuring,  assembled  round 
him  to  learn  the  opinion  of  the  surgeon. 

In  the  mean  while.  Lady  Ashton,  her  husband,  and  their 
assistants  in  vain  sought  Lucy  in  the  bridal  bed  and  in  the 
chamber.  There  was  no  private  passage  from  the  room,  and 
they  began  to  think  that  she  must  have  thrown  herself  from 
the  window,  when  one  of  the  company,  holding  his  torch 
lower  than  the  rest,  discovered  something  white  in  the  corner 
of  the  great  old-fashioned  chimney  of  the  apartment.  Here 
they  found  the  unfortunate  girl  seated,  or  rather  couched  like 
a  hare  upon  its  form — her  head-gear  dishevelled,  her  night- 
clothes  torn  and  dabbled  with  blood,  her  eyes  glazed,  and  her 


THE  BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  347 

features  convulsed  into  a  wild  paroxysm  of  insanity.  When 
she  saw  herself  discovered,  she  gibbered,  made  mouths,  and 
pointed  at  them  with  her  bloody  fingers,  with  the  frantic  ges- 
tures of  an  exulting  demoniac. 

Female  assistance  was  now  hastily  summoned ;  the  unhappy 
bride  was  overpowered,  not  without  the  use  of  some  force.  As 
they  carried  her  over  the  threshold,  she  looked  down,  and  ut- 
tered the  only  articulate  words  that  she  had  yet  spoken,  say- 
ing, with  a  sort  of  grinning  exultation,  "  So,  you  have  ta'en 
up  your  bonny  bridegroom?"  She  was,  by  the  shuddering 
assistants,  conveyed  to  another  and  more  retired  apartment, 
where  she  was  secured  as  her  situation  required,  and  closely 
w^atched.  The  unutterable  agony  of  the  parents,  the  horror 
and  confusion  of  all  who  were  in  the  castle,  the  fury  of  con- 
tending passions  between  the  friends  of  the  different  parties — 
passions  augmented  by  previous  intemperance — surpass  de- 
scription. 

The  surgeon  was  the  first  who  obtained  something  like  a 
patient  hearing ;  he  pronounced  that  the  wound  of  Bucklaw, 
though  severe  and  dangerous,  was  by  no  means  fatal,  but 
might  readily  be  rendered  so  by  disturbance  and  hasty  re- 
moval. This  silenced  the  numerous  party  of  Bucklaw's 
friends,  who  had  previously  insisted  that  he  should,  at  all 
rates,  be  transported  from  the  castle  to  the  nearest  of  their 
houses.  They  still  demanded,  however,  that,  in  consideration 
of  what  had  happened,  four  of  their  number  should  remain  to 
watch  over  the  sick-bed  of  their  friend,  and  that  a  suitable 
number  of  their  domestics,  well  armed,  should  also  remain  in 
the  castle.  This  condition  being  acceded  to  on  the  part  of 
Colonel  Ashton  and  his  father,  the  rest  of  the  bridegroom's 
friends  left  the  castle,  notwithstanding  the  hour  and  the  dark- 
ness of  the  night.  The  cares  of  the  medical  man  were  next 
employed  in  behalf  of  Miss  Ashton,  whom  he  pronounced  to 
be  in  a  very  dangerous  state.  Farther  medical  assistance  was 
immediately  summoned.  All  night  she  remained  delirious. 
On  the  morning,  she  fell  into  a  state  of  absolute  insensibility. 
The  next  evening,  the  physicians  said,  would  be  the  crisis  of 
her  malady.      It  proved  so  j  for  although  she  awoke  from  her 


348  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

trance  with  some  appearance  of  calmness,  and  suffered  her 
night-clothes  to  be  changed,  or  put  in  order,  yet  so  soon  as 
she  put  her  hand  to  her  neck,  as  if  to  search  for  the  fatal 
blue  ribbon,  a  tide  of  recollections  seemed  to  rush  upon  her, 
which  her  mind  and  body  were  alike  incapable  of  bearing. 
Convulsion  followed  convulsion,  till  they  closed  in  death, 
without  her  being  able  to  utter  a  word  explanatory  of  the 
fatal  scene. 

The  provincial  judge  of  the  district  arrived  the  day  after  the 
young  lady  had  expired,  and  executed,  though  with  all  pos- 
sible delicacy  to  the  afflicted  family,  the  painful  duty  of  in- 
quiring into  this  fatal  transaction.  But  there  occurred  noth- 
ing to  explain  the  general  hypothesis  that  the  bride,  in  a 
sudden  fit  of  insanity,  had  stabbed  the  bridegroom  at  the 
threshold  of  the  apartment.  The  fatal  weapon  was  found  in 
the  chamber  smeared  with  blood.  It  was  the  same  poni- 
ard which  Henry  should  have  worn  on  the  wedding-day, 
and  which  his  unhappy  sister  had  probably  contrived  to 
secrete  on  the  preceding  evening,  when  it  had  been  shown 
to  her  among  other  articles  of  preparation  for  the  wed- 
ding. 

The  friends  of  Bucklaw  expected  tha,t  on  his  recovery  he 
would  throw  some  light  upon  this  dark  story,  and  eagerly 
pressed  him  with  inquiries,  which  for  some  time  he  evaded 
under  pretext  of  weakness.  When,  however,  he  had  been 
transported  to  his  own  house,  and  was  considered  as  in  a  state 
of  convalescence,  he  assembled  those  persons,  both  male  and 
female,  who  had  considered  themselves  as  entitled  to  press 
him  on  this  subject,  and  returned  them  thanks  for  the  interest 
they  had  exhibited  in  his  behalf,  and  their  offers  of  adherence 
and  support.  "  I  wish  you  all, "  he  said,  "  my  friends,  to  un- 
derstand, however,  that  I  have  neither  story  to  tell  nor  injuries 
to  avenge.  If  a  lady  shall  question  me  henceforward  upon  the 
incidents  of  that  unhappy  night,  I  shall  remain  silent,  and  in 
future  consider  her  as  one  who  has  shown  herself  desirous  to 
break  off  her  friendship  with  me;  in  a  word,  I  will  never 
speak  to  her  again.  But  if  a  gentleman  shall  ask  me  the 
same  question,  I  shall  regard  the  incivility  as  equivalent  to 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  349 

an  invitation  to  meet  him  in  the  Duke's  Walk,'  and  I  expect 
that  he  will  rule  himself  accordingly." 

A  declaration  so  decisive  admitted  no  commentary;  and  it 
was  soon  after  seen  that  Bucklaw  had  arisen  from  the  bed  of 
sickness  a  sadder  and  a  wiser  man  than  he  had  hitherto  shown 
himself.  He  dismissed  Craigengelt  from  his  society,  but  not 
without  such  a  provision  as,  if  well  employed,  might  secure 
him  against  indigence  and  against  temptation. 

Bucklaw  afterwards  went  abroad,  and  never  returned  to 
Scotland ;  nor  was  he  known  ever  to  hint  at  the  circumstances 
attending  his  fatal  marriage.  By  many  readers  this  may  be 
deemed  overstrained,  romantic,  and  composed  by  the  wild 
imagination  of  an  author  desirous  of  gratifying  the  popular 
appetite  for  the  horrible ;  but  those  who  are  read  in  the  pri- 
vate family  history  of  Scotland  during  the  period  in  which  the 
scene  is  laid,  will  readily  discover,  through  the  disguise  of 
borrowed  names  and  added  incidents,  the  leading  particulars 

of  AN  OWER  TRUE  TALE. 


CHAPTER   XXXV. 

Whose  mind's  so  marbled,  and  his  heart  so  hard, 

That  would  not,  when  this  huge  mishap  was  heard, 

To  th'  utmost  note  of  sorrow  set  their  song, 

To  see  a  gallant,  with  so  great  a  grace. 

So  suddenly  unthought  on,  so  o'erthrown, 

And  so  to  perish,  in  so  poor  a  place. 

By  too  rash  riding  in  a  ground  unknown  ! 

Poem,  in  Nisbet's  Heraldry,  vol.  ii. 

We  have  auticipated  the  course  of  time  to  mention  Buck- 
law's  recovery  and  fate,  that  we  might  not  interrupt  the  detail 
of  events  which  succeeded  the  funeral  of  the  unfortunate  Lucy 
Ashton.  This  melancholy  ceremony  was  performed  in  the 
misty  dawn  of  an  autumnal  morning,  with  such  moderate  at- 
tendance and  ceremony  as  could  not  possibly  be  dispensed 
with.  A  very  few  of  the  nearest  relations  attended  her  body 
to  the  same  churchyard  to  which  she  had  so  lately  been  led  as 

»  See  Note  12. 


350  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

a  bride,  with  as  little  free  will,  perhaps,  as  could  be  now  tes- 
tified by  her  lifeless  and  passive  remains.  An  aisle  adjacent 
to  the  church  had  been  fitted  up  by  Sir  William  Ashton  as  a 
family  cemetery ;  and  here,  in  a  coffin  bearing  neither  name 
nor  date,  were  consigned  to  dust  the  remains  of  what  was 
once  lovely,  beautiful,  and  innocent,  though  exasperated  to 
frenzy  by  a  long  tract  of  unremitting  persecution. 

While  the  mourners  were  busy  in  the  vault,  the  three  vil- 
lage hags,  who,  notwithstanding  the  unwonted  earliness  of 
the  hour,  had  snuffed  the  carrion  like  vultures,  were  seated 
on  the  "  through- stane,"  and  engaged  in  their  wonted  unhal- 
lowed conference. 

"  Did  not  I  say, "  said  Dame  Gourlay,  "  that  the  braw  bridal 
would  be  followed  by  as  braw  a  funeral?" 

"I  think,"  answered  Dame  Winnie,  "there's  little  bravery 
at  it :  neither  meat  nor  drink,  and  just  a  wheen  silver  tippences 
to  the  poor  folk ;  it  was  little  worth  while  to  come  sae  far  a 
road  for  sae  sma'  profit,  and  us  sae  frail." 

"Out,  wretch!"  replied  Dame  Gourlay,  "can  a'  the  dainties 
they  could  gie  us  be  half  sae  sweet  as  this  hour's  vengeance? 
There  they  are  that  were  capering  on  their  prancing  nags  four 
days  since,  and  they  are  now  ganging  as  dreigh  and  sober  as 
oursells  the  day.  They  were  a'  glistening  wi'  gowd  and  sil- 
ver; they're  now  as  black  as  the  crook.  And  Miss  Lucy 
Ashton,  that  grudged  when  an  honest  woman  came  near  her — 
a  taid  may  sit  on  her  coffin  the  day,  and  she  can  never  scun- 
ner when  he  croaks.  And  Lady  Ashton  has  hell-fire  burning 
in  her  breast  by  this  time;  and  Sir  William,  wi'  his  gibbets, 
and  his  faggots,  and  his  chains,  how  likes  he  the  witcheries 
of  his  ain  dwelling-house?" 

"  And  is  it  true,  then, "  mumbled  the  paralytic  wretch,  "  that 
the  bride  was  trailed  out  of  her  bed  and  up  the  chimley  by 
evil  spirits,  and  that  the  bridegroom's  face  was  wrung  round 
ahint  him?" 

"Ye  needna  care  wha  did  it,  or  how  it  was  done,"  said 
Ailsie  Gourlay ;  "  but  I'll  uphaud  it  for  nae  stickit  job,  and 
that  the  lairds  and  leddies  ken  weel  this  day." 

"And  was  it  true,"  said  Annie  Winnie,  "sin  ye  ken  sae 


THE   BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  351 

muckle  about  it,  that  the  picture  of  auld  Sir  Malise  Ravens- 
wood  came  down  on  the  ha'  floor,  and  led  out  the  brawl  before 
them  a'?" 

"Na,"  said  Ailsie;  "but  into  the  ha'  came  the  picture — 
and  I  ken  weel  how  it  came  there — to  gie  them  a  warning  that 
pride  wad  get  a  fa'.  But  there's  as  queer  a  ploy,  cummers, 
as  ony  o'  thae,  that's  gaun  on  even  now  in  the  burial  vault 
yonder :  ye  saw  twall  mourners,  wi'  crape  and  cloak,  gang  down 
the  steps  pair  and  pair!" 

"  What  should  ail  us  to  see  them?"  said  the  one  old  woman. 

"  I  counted  them, "  said  the  other,  with  the  eagerness  of  a 
person  to  whom  the  spectacle  had  afforded  too  much  interest 
to  be  viewed  with  indifference. 

"  But  ye  did  not  see, "  said  Ailsie,  exulting  in  her  superior 
observation,  "that  there's  a  thirteenth  amang  them  that  they 
ken  naething  about;  and,  if  auld  freits  say  true,  there's  ane 
o'  that  company  that'll  no  be  lang  for  this  warld.  But  come 
awa',  cummers;  if  we  bide  here,  I'se  warrant  we  get  the  wyte 
o'  whatever  ill  comes  of  it,  and  that  gude  will  come  of  it  nane 
o'  them  need  ever  think  to  see." 

And  thus,  croaking  like  the  ravens  when  they  anticipate 
pestilence,  the  ill-boding  sibyls  withdrew  from  the  church- 
yard. 

In  fact,  the  mourners,  when  the  service  of  interment  was 
ended,  discovered  that  there  was  among  them  one  more  than 
the  invited  number,  and  the  remark  was  communicated  in 
whispers  to  each  other.  The  suspicion  fell  upon  a  figure 
which,  muffled  in  the  same  deep  mourning  with  the  others, 
was  reclined,  almost  in  a  state  of  insensibility,  against  one 
of  the  pillars  of  the  sepulchral  vault.  The  relatives  of  the 
Ashton  family  were  expressing  in  whispers  their  surprise  and 
displeasure  at  the  intrusion,  when  they  were  interrupted  by 
Colonel  Ashton,  who,  in  his  father's  absence,  acted  as  princi- 
pal mourner.  "  I  know, "  he  said  in  a  whisper,  "  who  this  per- 
son is ;  he  has,  or  shall  soon  have,  as  deep  cause  of  mourning 
as  ourselves ;  leave  me  to  deal  with  him,  and  do  not  disturb 
the  ceremony  by  unnecessary  exposure."  So  saying,  he  sepa- 
rated himself  from  the  group  of  his  relations,  and  taking  the 


352  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

■unknown  mourner  by  the  cloak,  he  said  to  him,  in  a  tone  of 
suppressed  emotion,  "  Follow  me." 

The  stranger,  as  if  starting  from  a  trance  at  the  sound  of 
his  voice,  mechanically  obeyed,  and  they  ascended  the  broken 
ruinous  stair  which  led  from  the  sepulchre  into  the  church- 
yard. The  other  mourners  followed,  but  remained  grouped 
together  at  the  door  of  the  vault,  watching  Avith  anxiety  the 
motions  of  Colonel  Ashton  and  the  stranger,  who  now  ap- 
peared to  be  in  close  conference  beneath  the  shade  of  a  yew- 
tree,  in  the  most  remote  part  of  the  burial-ground. 

To  this  sequestered  spot  Colonel  Ashton  had  guided  the 
stranger,  and  then  turning  round,  addressed  him  in  a  stern 
and  composed  tone. — "I  cannot  doubt  that  I  speak  to  the 
Master  of  Eavenswood?"  Xo  answer  was  returned.  "I  can- 
not doubt, "  resumed  the  Colonel,  trembling  with  rising  pas- 
sion, "that  I  speak  to  the  murderer  of  my  sister!" 

"  You  have  named  me  but  too  truly, "  said  Eavenswood,  in 
a  hollow  and  tremulous  voice. 

*' If  you  repent  what  you  have  done,"  said  the  Colonel, 
"  may  your  penitence  avail  you  before  God ;  with  me  it  shall 
serve  you  nothing.  Here,"  he  said,  giving  a  paper,  "is  the 
measure  of  my  sword,  and  a  memorandum  of  the  time  and 
place  of  meeting.  Sunrise  to-morrow  morning,  on  the  links 
to  the  east  of  Wolf's  Hope." 

The  Master  of  Eavenswood  held  the  paper  in  his  hand,  and 
seemed  irresolute.  At  length  he  spoke — "Do  not,"  he  said, 
"  urge  to  farther  desperation  a  wretch  who  is  already  desper- 
ate. Enjoy  your  life  while  you  can,  and  let  me  seek  my 
death  from  another." 

"That  you  never,  never  shall!"  said  Douglas  Asnton. 
"  You  shall  die  by  my  hand,  or  you  shall  complete  the  ruin  of 
my  family  by  taking  my  life.  If  you  refuse  my  open  chal- 
IcDge,  there  is  no  advantage  I  will  not  take  of  you,  no  indig- 
nity with  which  I  will  not  load  you,  until  the  very  name  of 
Eavenswood  shall  be  the  sign  of  everything  that  is  dishonour- 
able, as  it  is  already  of  all  that  is  villainous." 

"That  it  shall  never  be,"  said  Eavenswood,  fiercely;  "if  I 
am  the  last  who  must  bear  it,  I  owe  it  to  those  who  once 


THE   BRIDE   OF  LAMMERMOOR.  353 

owned  it  that  the  name  shall  be  extinguished  without  infamy. 
I  accept  your  challenge,  time,  and  place  of  meeting.  We 
meet,  I  presume,  alone?" 

''  Alone  we  meet, "  said  Colonel  Ashton,  "  and  alone  will  the 
survivor  of  us  return  from  that  place  of  rendezvous." 

"  Then  God  have  mercy  on  the  soul  of  him  who  falls!"  said 
Ravenswood. 

"So  be  it!"  said  Colonel  Ashton;  "so  far  can  my  charity 
reach  even  for  the  man  I  hate  most  deadly,  and  with  the  deep- 
est reason.  Now,  break  off,  for  we  shall  be  interrupted.  The 
links  by  the  sea-shore  to  the  east  of  Wolf's  Hope;  the  hour, 
sunrise;  our  swords  our  only  weapons." 

"Enough,"  said  the  Master,  "I  will  not  fail  you." 

They  separated;  Colonel  Ashton  joining  the  rest  of  the 
mourners,  and  the  Master  of  Ravenswood  taking  his  horse, 
which  was  tied  to  a  tree  behind  the  church.  Colonel  Ashton 
returned  to  the  castle  with  the  funeral  guests,  but  found  a 
pretext  for  detaching  himself  from  them  in  the  evening,  when, 
changing  his  dress  to  a  riding-habit,  he  rode  to  Wolf's  Hope, 
that  night,  and  took  up  his  abode  in  the  little  inn,  in  order 
that  he  might  be  ready  for  his  rendezvous  in  the  morning. 

It  is  not  known  how  the  Master  of  Ravenswood  disposed  of 
the  rest  of  that  unhappy  day.  Late  at  night,  however,  he 
arrived  at  Wolf's  Crag,  and  aroused  his  old  domestic,  Caleb 
Balderstone,  who  had  ceased  to  expect  his  return.  Confused 
and  flying  rumours  of  the  late  tragical  death  of  Miss  Ashton, 
and  of  its  mysterious  cause,  had  already  reached  the  old  man, 
who  was  filled  with  the  utmost  anxiety,  on  account  of  the 
probable  effect  these  events  might  produce  upon  the  mind  of 
his  master. 

The  conduct  of  Ravenswood  did  not  alleviate  his  apprehen- 
sions. To  the  butler's  trembling  entreaties  that  he  would 
take  some  refreshment,  he  at  first  returned  no  answer,  and 
then  suddenly  and  fiercely  demanding  wine,  he  drank,  con- 
trary to  his  habits,  a  very  large  draught.  Seeing  that  his 
master  would  eat  nothing,  the  old  man  affectionately  entreated 
that  he  would  permit  him  to  light  him  to  his  chamber.  It 
was  not  until  the  request  was  three  or  four  times  repeated 
23 


354  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

that  Ravenswood  made  a  mute  sign  of  compliance.  But  when 
Balderstone  conducted  him  to  an  apartment  which  had  been 
comfortably  fitted  up,  and  which,  since  his  return,  he  had 
usually  occupied,  Ravenswood  stopped  short  on  the  thresh- 
old. 

"Not  here,"  said  he,  sternly;  "  show  me  the  room  in  which 
my  father  died ;  the  room  in  which  she  slept  the  night  they 
were  at  the  castle." 

"  Who,  sir?"  said  Caleb,  too  terrified  to  preserve  his  pres- 
ence of  mind. 

"  She,  Lucy  Ashton !  Would  you  kill  me,  old  man,  by  forc- 
ing me  to  repeat  her  name?" 

Caleb  would  have  said  something  of  the  disrepair  of  the 
chamber,  but  was  silenced  by  the  irritable  impatience  which 
was  expressed  in  his  master's  countenance;  he  lighted  the 
way  trembling  and  in  silence,  placed  the  lamp  on  the  table  of 
the  deserted  room,  and  was  about  to  attempt  some  arrange- 
ment of  the  bed,  when  his  master  bid  him  begone  in  a  tone 
that  admitted  of  no  delay.  The  old  man  retired,  not  to  rest, 
but  to  prayer ;  and  from  time  to  time  crept  to  the  door  of  the 
apartment,  in  order  to  find  out  whether  Ravenswood  had 
gone  to  repose.  His  measured  heavy  step  upon  the  floor  was 
only  interrupted  by  deep  groans ;  and  the  repeated  stamps  of 
the  heel  of  his  heavy  boot  intimated  too  clearly  that  the 
wretched  inmate  was  abandoning  himself  at  such  moments  to 
paroxysms  of  uncontrolled  agony.  The  old  man  thought  that 
the  morning,  for  which  he  longed,  would  never  have  dawned; 
but  time,  whose  course  rolls  on  with  equal  current,  however 
it  may  seem  more  rapid  or  more  slow  to  mortal  apprehension, 
brought  the  dawn  at  last,  and  spread  a  ruddy  light  on  the 
broad  verge  of  the  glistening  ocean.  It  was  early  in  Novem- 
ber, and  the  weather  was  serene  for  the  season  of  the  year. 
But  an  easterly  wind  had  prevailed  during  the  night,  and  the 
advancing  tide  rolled  nearer  than  usual  to  the  foot  of  the  crags 
on  which  the  castle  was  founded. 

With  the  first  peep  of  light,  Caleb  Balderstone  again  re- 
sorted to  the  door  of  Ravenswood' s  sleeping  apartment, 
through  a  chink  of  which  he  observed  him  engaged  in  measur- 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR.  355 

ing  the  length  of  two  or  three  swords  which  lay  in  a  closet 
adjoining  to  the  apartment.  He  muttered  to  himself,  as  he 
selected  one  of  these  weapons :  "It  is  shorter :  let  him  have 
this  advantage,  as  he  has  every  other." 

Caleb  Balderstone  knew  too  well,  from  what  he  witnessed, 
upon  what  enterprise  his  master  was  bound,  and  how  vain  all 
interference  on  his  part  must  necessarily  prove.  He  had  but 
time  to  retreat  from  the  door,  so  nearly  was  he  surprised  by 
his  master  suddenly  coming  out  and  descending  to  the  stables. 
The  faithful  domestic  followed;  and,  from  the  dishevelled  ap- 
pearance of  his  master's  dress,  and  his  ghastly  looks,  was  con- 
firmed in  his  conjecture  that  he  had  passed  the  night  without 
sleep  or  repose.  He  found  him  busily  engaged  in  saddling  his 
horse,  a  service  from  which  Caleb,  though  with  faltering  voice 
and  trembling  hands,  offered  to  relieve  him.  Ravenswood  re- 
jected his  assistance  by  a  mute  sign,  and  having  led  the  animal 
into  the  court,  was  just  about  to  mount  him,  when  the  old  do- 
mestic's fear  giving 'way  to  the  strong  attachment  which  was 
the  principal  passion  of  his  mind,  he  flung  himself  suddenly 
at  Ravenswood's  feet,  and  clasped  his  knees,  while  he  ex- 
claimed: "  Oh,  sir!  oh,  master!  kill  me  if  you  will,  but  do  not 
go  out  on  this  dreadful  errand!     Oh!  my  dear  master,  wait 

but  this  day ;  the  Marquis  of  A comes  to-morrow,  and  a' 

will  be  remedied." 

"You  have  no  longer  a  master,  Caleb,"  said  Ravenswood, 
endeavouring  to  extricate  himself ;  "  why,  old  man,  would  you 
cling  to  a  falling  tower?" 

"  But  I  have  a  master, "  cried  Caleb,  still  holding  him 
fast,  "  while  the  heir  of  Ravenswood  breathes.  I  am  but 
a  servant;  but  I  was  born  your  father's — your  grandfather's 
servant.  I  was  born  for  the  family — I  have  lived  for 
them — I  would  die  for  them!  Stay  but  at  home,  and  all 
will  be  well!" 

"Well,  fool!  well!"  said  Ravenswood.  "Vain  old  man, 
nothing  hereafter  in  life  will  be  well  with  me,  and  happiest  is 
the  hour  that  shall  soonest  close  it!" 

So  saying,  he  extricated  himself  from  the  old  man's  hold, 
threw  himself  on  his  horse,  and  rode  out  at  the  gate ;  but  in- 


356  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

stantly  turning  back,  he  threw  towards  Caleb,  who  hastened 
to  meet  him,  a  heavy  purse  of  gold. 

"Caleb!"  he  said,  with  a  ghastly  smile,  "I  make  you  my 
executor"  ;  and  again  turning  his  bridle,  he  resumed  his  course 
down  the  hill. 

The  gold  fell  unheeded  on  the  pavement,  for  the  old  man 
ran  to  observe  the  course  which  was  taken  by  his  master,  who 
turned  to  the  left  down  a  small  and  broken  path,  which 
gained  the  sea-shore  through  a  cleft  in  the  rock,  and  led  to  a 
sort  of  cove  where,  in  former  times,  the  boats  of  the  castle 
were  wont  to  be  moored.  Observing  him  take  this  course, 
Caleb  hastened  to  the  eastern  battlement,  which  commanded 
the  prospect  of  the  whole  sands,  very  near  as  far  as  the  vil- 
lage of  Wolf's  Hope.  He  could  easily  see  his  master  riding 
in  that  direction,  as  fast  as  the  horse  could  carry  him.  The 
prophecy  at  once  rushed  on  Balderstone's  mind,  that  the  Lord 
of  Ravens  wood  should  perish  on  the  Kelpie's  flow,  which  lay 
half-way  betwixt  the  Tower  and  the  links,  or  sand  knolls,  to 
the  northward  of  Wolf's  Hope.  He  saw  him  according  reach 
the  fatal  spot ;  but  he  never  saw  him  pass  further. 

Colonel  Ashton,  frantic  for  revenge,  was  already  in  the  field, 
pacing  the  turf  with  eagerness,  and  looking  with  impatience 
towards  the  Tower  for  the  arrival  of  his  antagonist.  The 
sun  had  now  risen,  and  showed  its  broad  disk  above  the  east- 
ern sea,  so  that  he  could  easily  discern  the  horseman  who  rode 
towards  him  with  speed  which  argued  impatience  equal  to  his 
own.  At  once  the  figure  became  invisible,  as  if  it  had  melted 
into  the  air.  He  rubbed  his  eyes,  as  if  he  had  witnessed  an 
apparition,  and  then  hastened  to  the  spot,  near  which  he  was 
met  by  Balderstone,  who  came  from  the  opposite  direction. 
No  trace  whatever  of  horse  or  rider  could  be  discerned;  it 
only  appeared  that  the  late  winds  and  high  tides  had  greatly 
extended  the  usual  bounds  of  the  quicksand,  and  that  the 
unfortunate  horseman,  as  appeared  from  the  hoof -tracks,  in 
his  precipitate  haste,  had  not  attended  to  keep  on  the  firm 
sands  on  the  foot  of  the  rock,  but  had  taken  the  shortest  and 
most  dangerous  course.     One  only  vestige  of  his  fate  appeared. 


THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR  357 

A  large  sable  feather  had  been  detached  from  his  hat,  and 
the  rippling  waves  of  the  rising  tide  wafted  it  to  Caleb's 
feet.  The  old  man  took  it  up,  dried  it,  and  placed  it  in 
his  bosom. 

The  inhabitants  of  Wolf's  Hope  were  now  alarmed,  and 
crowded  to  the  place,  some  on  shore,  and  some  in  boats,  but 
their  search  availed  nothing.  The  tenacious  depths  of  the 
quicksand,  as  is  usual  in  such  cases,  retained  its  prey. 

Our  tale  draws  to  a  conclusion.     The  Marquis  of  A , 

alarmed  at  the  frightful  reports  that  were  current,  and  anx- 
ious for  his  kinsman's  safety,  arrived  on  the  subsequent  day 
to  mourn  his  loss;  and,  after  renewing  in  vain  a  search  for 
the  body,  returned,  to  forget  what  had  happened  amid  the 
bustle  of  politics  and  state  affairs. 

]Srot  so  Caleb  Balderstone.  If  worldly  profit  could  have 
consoled  the  old  man,  his  age  was  better  provided  for  than  his 
earlier  years  had  ever  been ;  but  life  had  lost  to  him  its  salt 
and  its  savour.  His  whole  course  of  ideas,  his  feelings, 
whether  of  pride  or  of  apprehension,  of  pleasure  or  of  pain, 
had  all  arisen  from  its  close  connexion  with  the  family  which 
was  now  extinguished.  He  held  up  his  head  no  longer,  for- 
sook all  his  usual  haunts  and  occupations,  and  seemed  only  to 
find  pleasure  in  moping  about  those  apartments  in  the  old  cas- 
tle which  the  Master  of  Eavenswood  had  last  inhabited.  He 
ate  without  refreshment,  and  slumbered  without  repose ;  and, 
with  a  fidelity  sometimes  displayed  by  the  canine  race,  but 
seldom  by  human  beings,  he  pined  and  died  within  a  year 
after  the  catastrophe  which  we  have  narrated. 

The  family  of  Ashton  did  not  long  survive  that  of  Ravens- 
wood.  Sir  William  Ashton  outlived  his  eldest  son,  the  Colo- 
nel, who  was  slain  in  a  duel  in  Flanders ;  and  Henry,  by  whom 
he  was  succeeded,  died  unmarried.  Lady  Ashton  lived  to  the 
verge  of  extreme  old  age,  the  only  survivor  of  the  group  of 
unhappy  persons  whose  misfortunes  were  owing  to  her  implac- 
ability. That  she  might  internally  feel  compunction,  and 
reconcile  herself  with  Heaven,  whom  she  had  offended,  we 
will  not,  and  we  dare  not,  deny  j  but  to  those  around  her  she 


358  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

did  not  evince  the  slightest  symptom  either  of  repentance  or 
remorse.  In  all  external  appearance  she  bore  the  same  bold, 
haughty,  unbending  character  which  she  had  displayed  before 
these  unhappy  events.  A  splendid  marble  monument  records 
her  name,  titles,  and  virtues,  while  her  victims  remain  undis- 
tinguished by  tomb  or  epitaph. 


NOTES  TO  THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR. 


iSOTE  1.— The  Family  of  Stair,  p.  7. 

[It  may  be  regretted  that  the  Author  had  not  adhered  to  his  original  pur- 
pose as  here  stated.  In  his  Introduction  to  the  Chronicles  of  the  Canongate. 
when  referring  to  the  sources  or  materials  of  his  novels,  he  says,  "  I  may 
mention,  for  example's  sake,  that  the  terrible  catastrophe  of  the  Bride  of 
Lamviermoor  actually  occurred  in  a  Scottish  family  of  rank.  ...  It  is  un- 
necessary further  to  withdraw  the  real  veil  from  this  scene  of  family  dis- 
tress, nor,  although  it  occurred  more  than  a  hundred  years  since,  might  it 
be  altogether  agreeable  to  the  representatives  of  the  families  concerned  in 
the  narrative.  It  may  be  proper  to  say,  that  the  events  are  imitated;  but  / 
had  neither  the  means  nor  intention  of  copying  the  manners,  or  tracing  the  char- 
acters, of  the  persons  concerned  in  the  real  story. ''^ 

The  regret,  however,  is  not  in  his  stating  that  the  tragical  event  said  to 
have  happened  in  the  family  of  Dalrymple  of  Stair  in  1669  had  suggested 
the  catastrophe,  but  in  seemingly  connecting  the  story  itself  with  the  his- 
tory of  that  family,  by  quoting  so  fully  the  scandal  and  satirical  verses  of  a 
later  period. — Laing.] 

Note  2.— Sir  G.  Lockhart,  p.  59. 

President  of  the  Court  of  Session.  He  was  pistolled  in  the  High  Street  of 
Edinburgh,  by  John  Chiesley  of  Dairy,  in  the  year  1689.  The  revenge  of 
this  desperate  man  was  stimulated  by  an  opinion  that  he  had  sustained 
injustice  in  a  decreet-arbitral  pronounced  by  the  President,  assigning  an 
alimentary  provision  of  about  £93  in  favour  of  his  wife  and  children.  He 
is  said  at  first  to  have  designed  to  shoot  the  judge  while  attending  upon 
divine  worship,  but  was  diverted  by  some  feeling  concerning  the  sanctity  of 
the  place.  After  the  congregation  was  dismissed,  he  dogged  his  victim  as 
far  as  the  head  of  the  close,  on  the  south  side  of  the  Lawnmarket,  in  which 
the  President's  house  was  situated,  and  shot  him  dead  as  he  was  about  to 
enter  it.  This  act  was  done  in  the  presence  of  numerous  spectators.  The 
assassin  made  no  attempt  to  fly,  but  boasted  of  the  deed,  saying,  "  I  have 
taught  the  President  how  to  do  justice."  He  had  at  least  given  him  fair 
warning,  as  Jack  Cade  says  on  a  similar  occasion.  The  murderer,  after 
undergoing  the  torture,  by  a  special  act  of  the  Estates  of  Parliament,  was 
tried  before  the  Lord  Provost  of  Edinburgh,  as  high  sheriff,  and  condemned 
to  be  dragged  on  a  hurdle  to  the  place  of  execution,  to  have  his  right  hand 
struck  off  while  he  yet  lived,  and,  finally,  to  be  hung  on  the  gallows  with 
the  pistol  wherewith  he  shot  the  President  tied  round  his  neck.    This  exe- 


360  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

cution  took  place  on  the  3d  of  April,  1689 ;  and  the  incident  was  long  re- 
membered as  a  dreadful  instance  of  what  the  law  books  call  the  perfervidum 
ingenium  Scotorum. 

Note  3.— The  Ballantynes,  p.  106. 

James  Ballantyne,  the  eminent  printer,  was  the  eldest  of  three  sons  of  a 
small  merchant  in  Kelso.  He  was  born  in  1772,  and  became  acquainted 
with  Sir  Walter  Scott  so  early  as  1784,  when  attending  the  grammar  school. 
Having  established  a  printing  oflBce,  he  started  a  local  newspaper,  called  the 
Kelso  Mail;  and  in  1799  there  issued  from  his  press  Scott's  Apology  for  Tales 
of  Terror,  of  which  only  twelve  copies  were  thrown  off.  This  was  followed 
by  the  first  edition  of  the  Minstrelsy  of  the  Scottish  Border  in  1802,  a  work 
that  was  considered  such  an  admirable  specimen  of  typography  that  Bal- 
lantyne was  induced  to  remove  to  Edinburgh,  where  for  thirty  years  he 
carried  on  a  printing  establishment  with  great  success,  leaving  his  younger 
brother  Alexander  at  Kelso  to  look  after  the  newspaper. 

John  Ballantyne,  the  second  son,  was  born  in  1774.  He  commenced  his 
career  at  Kelso,  in  September  1813,  by  the  sale  of  that  portion  of  the  cele- 
brated library  of  John  Duke  of  Roxburghe  which  remained  at  Fleurs  Cas- 
tle. On  coming  to  Edinburgh,  he  was  for  a  time  connected  with  the  print- 
ing office;  but  afterwards  turned  auctioneer  and  bookseller,  and  became 
the  publisher  of  several  of  Scott's  Poems  and  Novels.  "Jocund  Johnny," 
as  Scott  sometimes  called  him,  was  a  person  of  volatile  and  joyous  disposi- 
tion, a  most  amusing  companion,  having  the  credit  of  being  the  best  story- 
teller of  his  time.  The  state  of  his  health,  however,  obliged  him  to  relin- 
quish business,  and  he  died  16th  June,  1821. 

James,  who  devoted  much  of  his  time  to  theatrical  criticism  and  journal- 
ism, died  within  four  months  of  Sir  Walter  Scott,  in  January,  1833.  He 
assisted  the  Author  of  these  novels  in  revising  the  proof  sheets  and  suggest- 
ing minute  corrections  (Lalng). 

Note  4. — George  Buchanan's  Jests,  p.  138. 

Referring  probably  to  a  popular  chap-book,  entitled  The  Witty  and  En- 
tertaining Exploits  of  George  Buchanan,  who  was  commonly  called  the  Kings 
Fool ;  the  whole  six  parts  complete,  1781.  This  character  was  jester  to  Charles 
I.,  and  must  not  be  mistaken  for  his  learned  namesake  {Lalng). 

Note  5. — Raid  of  Caleb  Balderstone,  p.  161. 

The  raid  of  Caleb  Balderstone  on  the  cooper's  kitchen  has  been  univers- 
ally considered  on  the  southern  side  of  the  Tweed  as  grotesquely  and  ab- 
surdly extravagant.  The  Author  can  only  say,  that  a  similar  anecdote  was 
communicated  to  him,  with  date  and  names  of  the  parties,  by  a  noble  earl 
lately  deceased,  whose  remembrances  of  former  days,  both  in  Scotland  and 
England,  while  they  were  given  with  a  felicity  and  power  of  humour  never 
to  be  forgotten  by  those  who  had  the  happiness  of  meeting  his  lordship  in 
familiar  society,  were  especially  invaluable  from  their  extreme  accuracy. 

Speaking  after  my  kind  and  lamented  informer,  with  the  omission  of 
names  only,  the  anecdote  ran  thus :  There  was  a  certain  bachelor  gentle- 
man in  one  of  the  midland  counties  of  Scotland,  second  son  of  an  ancient 
family,  who  lived  on  the  fortune  of  a  second  son,  videlicit,  upon  some  mis- 
erably small  annuity,  which  yet  was  so  managed  and  stretched  out  by  the 


KOTES.  361 

expedients  of  his  man  John,  that  his  master  kept  the  front  rank  with  all 
the  young  men  of  quality  in  the  country,  and  hunted,  dined,  diced,  and 
drank  with  them  upon  apparently  equal  terms. 

It  is  true  that,  as  the  master's  society  was  extremely  amusing,  his  friends 
contrived  to  reconcile  his  man  John  to  accept  assistance  of  various  kinds 
"under  the  rose,"  which  they  dared  not  to  have  directly  offered  to  his  mas- 
ter. Yet,  very  consistently  with  all  this  good  inclination  to  John  and 
John's  master,  it  was  thought  among  the  young  fox-hunters  that  it  would 
be  an  excellent  jest,  if  possible,  to  take  John  at  fault. 

With  this  intention,  and,  I  think,  in  consequence  of  a  bet,  a  party  of  four 
or  five  of  these  youngsters  arrived  at  the  bachelor's  little  mansion,  which 
was  adjacent  to  a  considerable  village.  Here  they  alighted  a  short  while 
before  the  dinner  hour — for  it  was  judged  regular  to  give  John's  ingenuity 
a  fair  start — and,  rushing  past  the  astonished  domestic,  entered  the  little 
parlour,  and,  telling  some  concerted  story  of  the  cause  of  their  invasion, 
the  self-invited  guests  asked  their  landlord  if  he  could  let  them  have  som? 
dinner.  Their  friend  gave  them  a  hearty  and  unembarrassed  reception, 
and,  for  the  matter  of  dinner,  referred  them  to  John.  He  was  summoned 
accordingly  ;  received  his  master's  orders  to  get  dinner  ready  for  the  party 
who  had  thus  unexpectedly  arrived ;  and,  without  changing  a  muscle  of 
his  countenance,  promised  prompt  obedience.  Great  was  the  speculation 
of  the  visitors  and  probably  of  the  landlord  also,  what  was  to  be  the  issue 
of  John's  fair  promises.  Some  of  the  more  curious  had  taken  a  peep  into 
the  kitchen,  and  could  see  nothing  there  to  realize  the  prospect  held  out  by 
the  major-domo.  But  punctual  as  the  dinner  hour  struck  on  the  village 
clock,  John  placed  before  them  a  stately  rump  of  boiled  beef,  with  a  proper 
accompaniment  of  greens,  amply  sufficient  to  dine  the  whole  party,  and  to 
decide  the  bet  against  those  amongst  the  visitors  who  expected  to  take  John 
napping.  The  explanation  was  the  same  as  in  the  case  of  Caleb  Balder- 
stone.  John  had  used  the  freedom  to  carry  off  the  kail-pot  of  a  rich  old 
chuff  in  the  village,  and  brought  it  to  his  master's  house,  leaving  the  pro- 
prietor and  his  friends  to  dine  on  bread  and  cheese ;  and,  as  John  said, 
"good  enough  for  them."  The  fear  of  giving  offence  to  so  many  persons 
of  distinction  kept  the  poor  man  sufficiently  quiet,  and  he  was  afterwards 
remunerated  by  some  indirect  patronage,  so  that  the  jest  was  admitted  a 
good  one  on  all  sides.  In  England,  at  any  period,  or  in  some  parts  of  Scot- 
land at  the  present  day,  it  might  not  have  passed  off  so  well. 

Note  6. — Ancient  Hospitality,  p.  165. 

It  was  once  the  universal  custom  to  place  ale,  wine,  or  some  strong  liquor 
in  the  chamber  of  an  honored  guest,  to  assuage  his  thirst,  should  he  feel 
any  on  awakening  in  the  night,  which,  considering  that  the  hospitality  of 
that  period  often  reached  excess,  was  by  no  means  unlikely.  The  Author 
has  met  with  some  instances  of  it  in  former  days,  and  in  old-fashioned  fam- 
ilies.   It  was,  perhaps,  no  poetic  fiction  that  records  how 

My  cummer  and  I  lay  down  to  sleep 

With  two  pint-stoups  at  our  bed-feet ; 

And  aye  when  we  waken'd  we  drank  them  dry 

What  think  you  o'  my  cummer  and  I  ? 

It  is  a  current  story  in  Teviotdale,  that  in  the  house  of  an  ancient  family 
of  distinction,  much  addicted  to  the  Presbyterian  cause,  a  Bible  was  always 


362  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

put  into  the  sleeping  apartment  of  the  guests,  along  with  a  bottle  of  strong 
ale.  On  some  occasion  there  was  a  meeting  of  clergymen  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  castle,  all  of  whom  were  invited  to  dinner  by  the  worthy  baronet,  and 
several  abode  all  night.  According  to  the  fashion  of  the  times,  seven  of  the 
reverend  guests  were  allotted  to  one  large  barrack-room,  which  was  used 
on  such  occasions  of  extended  hospitality.  The  butler  took  care  that  the 
divines  were  presented,  according  to  custom,  each  with  a  Bible  and  a  bottle 
of  ale.  But  after  a  little  consultation  among  themselves,  they  are  said  to 
have  recalled  the  domestic  as  he  was  leaving  the  apartment.  "  My  friend," 
said  one  of  the  venerable  guests,  "  you  must  know,  when  we  meet  together 
as  brethren,  the  youngest  minister  reads  aloud  a  portion  of  the  Scripture  to 
the  rest;  only  one  Bible,  therefore,  is  necessary;  take  away  the  other  six, 
and  in  their  place  bring  six  more  bottles  of  ale," 

This  synod  would  have  suited  the  "hermit  sage"  of  Johnson,  who  an- 
swered a  pupil  who  inquired  for  the  real  road  to  happiness  with  the  cele- 
brated line, 

Come,  my  lad,  and  drink  some  beer! 

Note  7, — Appeal  to  Parliament,  p.  180. 

The  power  of  appeal  from  the  Court  of  Session,  the  supreme  Judges  of 
Scotland,  to  the  Scottish  Parliament,  in  cases  of  civil  right,  was  fiercely 
debated  before  the  Union.  It  was  a  privilege  highly  desirable  for  the  sub- 
ject, as  the  examination  and  occasional  reversal  of  their  sentences  in  Par- 
liament might  serve  as  a  check  upon  the  judges,  which  they  greatly 
required  at  a  time  when  they  were  much  more  distinguished  for  legal 
knowledge  than  for  uprightness  and  integrity. 

The  members  of  the  Faculty  of  Advocates  (so  the  Scottish  barristers  are 
termed) ,  in  the  year  1674,  incurred  the  violent  displeasure  of  the  Court  of 
Session,  on  account  of  their  refusal  to  renounce  the  right  of  appeal  to  Par- 
liament ;  and,  by  a  very  arbitrary  procedure,  the  majority  of  the  number 
were  banished  from  Edinburgh,  and  consequently  deprived  of  their  pro- 
fessional practice,  for  several  sessions,  or  terms.  But,  by  the  articles  of 
the  Union,  an  appeal  to  the  British  House  of  Peers  has  been  secured  to  the 
Scottish  subject,  and  that  right  has,  no  doubt,  had  its  influence  in  form- 
ing the  impartial  and  independent  character  which,  much  contrary  to 
the  practice  of  their  predecessors,  the  Judges  of  the  Court  of  Session  have 
since  displayed. 

It  is  easy  to  conceive  that  an  old  lawyer  like  the  Lord  Keeper  in  the 
text  should  feel  alarm  at  the  judgments  given  in  his  favour,  upon  the 
grounds  of  strict  penal  law,  being  brought  to  appeal  under  a  new  and 
dreaded  procedure  in  a  Court  eminently  impartial,  and  peculiarly  moved 
by  considerations  of  equity. 

In  earlier  editions  of  this  Work  [before  1829-33],  this  legal  distinction 
was  not  sufficiently  explained. 

Note  8. — Poor-Man-of-Mutton,  p.  204. 

The  blade-bone  of  a  shoulder  of  mutton  is  called  in  Scotland  "a  poor 
man,"  as  in  some  parts  of  England  it  is  termed  "  a  poor  knight  of  Wind- 
sor" ;  in  contrast,  it  must  be  presumed,  to  the  baronial  Sir  Loin.  It  is 
said  that,  in  the  last  age,  an  old  Scottish  peer,  whose  conditions  (none  of 
the  most  gentle)  were  marked  by  a  strange  and  fierce-looking  exaggera- 


NOTES.  363 

tion  of  the  Highland  countenance,  chanced  to  be  indisposed  while  he 
was  in  London  attending  Parliament.  The  master  of  the  hotel  where  he 
lodged,  anxious  to  show  attention  to  his  noble  guest,  waited  on  him  to 
enumerate  the  contents  of  his  well-stocked  larder,  so  as  to  endeavour  to 
hit  on  something  which  might  suit  his  appetite.  "I  think,  landlord," 
said  his  lordship,  rising  up  from  his  couch,  and  throwing  back  the  tartan 
plaid  with  which  he  had  screened  his  grim  and  ferocious  visage — "  I  think 
I  could  eat  a  morsel  of  a  poor  man.''  The  landlord  fled  in  terror,  having  no 
doubt  that  his  guest  was  a  cannibal,  who  might  be  in  the  habit  of  eating  a 
slice  of  a  tenant,  as  light  food,  when  he  was  under  regimen. 

Note  9. — Middleton's  "  Mad  World,"  p.  239. 

Hereupon  I,  Jedediah  Cleishbotham,  crave  leave  to  remark  pnmo,  which 
signifies,  in  the  first  place,  that,  having  in  vain  inquired  at  the  circulating 
library  in  Gandercleuch,  albeit  it  abounded  in  similar  vanities,  for  this 
samyn  Middleton  and  his  Mad  World,  it  was  at  length  shown  unto  me 
amongst  other  ancient  fooleries  carefully  compiled  by  one  Dodsley,^  who, 
doubtless  hath  his  reward  for  neglect  of  precious  time ;  and  having  mis- 
used so  much  time  of  mine  as  was  necessary  for  the  purpose,  I  therein 
found  that  a  play-man  is  brought  in  as  a  footman,  whom  a  knight  is  made 
to  greet  facetiously  with  the  epithet  of  "  linen  stocking,  and  threescore 
miles  a-day." 

Secutulo,  which  is  secondly  in  the  vernacular,  under  Mr.  Pattieson's 
favour,  some  men  not  altogether  so  old  as  he  would  represent  them,  do 
remember  this  species  of  menial,  or  forerunner.  In  evidence  of  which  I, 
.Tedediah  Cleishbotham,  though  mine  eyes  yet  do  me  good  service,  remem- 
ber me  to  have  seen  one  of  this  tribe  clothed  in  white,  and  bearing  a  staif, 
who  ran  daily  before  the  stage-coach  of  the  umquhile  John  Earl  of  Hope- 
ton,  father  of  this  Earl,  Charles,  that  now  is  ;  unto  whom  it  may  be  justly 
said,  that  renown  playeth  the  part  of  a  running  footman,  or  precursor; 
and,  as  the  poet  singeth — 

Mars  standing  by  asserts  his  quarrel. 
And  Fame  flies  after  with  a  laurel. 

J.  C. 

Note  10. — Trumpeter  Marine  at  Sheriffmuir,  p.  266. 

The  battle  of  Sheriffmuir,  which  took  place  in  November  1715,  was 
claimed  as  a  victory  by  both  sides.  This  gave  rise  to  a  clever  popular 
song  printed  at  the  time  as  a  broadside,  under  the  title  of  ^  Race  at  Sheriff- 
midr,  fairly  rim  on  the  15th  November  1715,  to  the  time  of'''  The  Horseman'' s 
Sporty 

There's  some  say  that  we  wan,  some  say  that  they  wan. 

Some  say  that  nane  wan  at  a' ,  man  : 
But  one  thing  I'm  sure,  that  at  Sheriffmuir 
A  battle  there  was,  which  I  saw,  man. 
And  we  ran,  and  they  ran,  and  they  ran,  and  we  ran, 
And  we  ran,  and  they  ran  awa',  man. 

In  these  satirical  verses  Trumpeter  Marine  is  introduced,  and  in  proof  of 
Sir  Walter's  accuracy  as  to  the  name,  the  following  note  may  be  added,  as 
recent  editors  of  this  ballad  have  altered  it  to  Maclean  : 

1  Dodsley's  Collection  of  Old  Plays,  vol.  v.  p.  307  {Laing). 


364  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

In  the  Present  State  of  Great  Britain,  London,  1710,  Francis  Marine  is 
second  on  the  list  of  Queen  Anne's  Trumpeters  for  Scotland,  while  in  the 
volume  for  1716  his  name  occurs  among  the  officers  of  the  king's  house- 
hold, as  "Francis  Marine,  Sen.,"  and  there  is  added  as  fifth  trumpeter, 
"Francis  Marine,  Jun."  These  household  trumpeters  were  employed,  as 
they  are  to  this  day  in  the  Lyon  Office,  for  announcing  royal  proclama- 
tions, and  attending  the  Circuit  Courts  of  Justiciary.  Another  son  or 
grandson,  named  James  Marine,  continues  to  appear  as  trumpeter  down 
to  1785. 

The  words  referred  to,  in  the  original  ballad  of  SherifFmuir  are  as  fol- 
low : 

And  Trumpet  Marine  too,  whose  breeks  were  not  clean,  through 

Misfortune  he  happen'd  to  fa',  man  : 
And  saving  his  neck,  his  trumpet  did  break, 

Came  off  without  musick  at  a',  man. 
And  we  ran,  and  they  ran,  etc. 

No  doubt  there  w^as  a  John  Maclean,  trumpeter,  sent  on  a  message  from 
the  rebels  to  the  Duke  of  Argyle  before  the  battle,  but  the  modern  im- 
provers have  spoiled  the  verses  both  as  to  rhyme  and  accuracy ;  while 
they  have  overlooked  the  description  of  the  trumpeter's  dress,  which  would 
evidently  indicate  his  not  being  a  Highlander  {Laing). 

^NoTE  11. — Cubing  by  Chaems,  p.  342. 

Reginald  Scott  tells  of  an  old  woman  who  performed  so  many  cures  by 
means  of  a  charm  that  she  was  suspected  of  witchcraft.  Her  mode  ot 
practice  being  inquired  into,  it  was  found  that  the  only  fee  which  she 
would  accept  of  was  a  loaf  of  bread  and  a  silver  penny  ;  and  that  the 
potent  charm  with  which  she  wrought  so  many  cures  was  the  doggerel 
couplet  in  the  text. 

Note  12.— Duke's  Walk,  p.  349. 

A  walk  in  the  vicinity  of  Holyrood  House,  so  called,  because  often  fre- 
quented by  the  Duke  of  York,  afterwards  James  XL,  during  his  residence 
in  Scotland.  It  was  for  a  long  time  the  usual  place  of  rendezvous  for  set- 
tling affairs  of  honour: 


GLOSSARY 

OF 
WORDS,   PHRASES,  AND   ALLUSIONS. 


Abee,  alone 

ABLEEZE,in  a  blaze 

Aboon,  abune,  above,  up 

Abou  Hassan.  See  The  Arabian 
Nights:  "The  Sleeper  Awak- 
ened" 

Adjudication,  an  action  for  seizing 
upon  a  heritable  estate  as  security 
for  a  debt — a  Scots  law  term 

Ad  re-^dificandam  (p.  121),  to  set 
up  an  ancient  house  again 

Ae,  one 

Age,  to  act  as  may  be  necessary  and 
legal — a  Scots  law  term 

Ail,  to  interfere  with,  prevent 

AiN,  own 

AiRT,  to  direct,  turn  ;  a  point 

Aits,  oats;   ait-cake,  oat-cake 

Aiver,  or  AVER,  an  old  broken- 
winded  horse 

Alexander,  a  tragedy  by  Nathaniel 
Lee,  very  popular  in  the  early 
part  of  the  18th  century 

Allenarly,  solely,  alone 

Ance,  once 

Andrew  Ferrara,  a  Highland 
broadsword 

Angus.  Earl  of,  presumably  Arch- 
ibald, sixth  earl,  exiled  by  James 
V.  in  1528 

Aroint,  avaunt 

Ass,  ash 

AuLD  Reekie,  Edinburgh 

AvA,  at  all 

AvANT-couRiER,  a  foreruuner,  mes- 
senger sent  on  in  advance 

Awe,  to  owe 

Back-sey,  the  sirloin 
Backsword,  a  sword  with  only  one 
cutting  edge 


Bard  of  Hope,  Thomas  Campbell, 
author  of  Pleasures  of  Hope 

Bass,  a  conspicuous  mass  of  rock  in 
the  Firth  of  Forth,  not  far  from 
North  Berwick 

Bawbee,  a  halfpenny 

Bedesman,  an  alms-man,  one  that 
prays  for  another 

Bedral,  a  beadle,  sexton 

Beflumm,  to  befool,  cajole 

Bell  the  cat,  synonymous  with 
"Beard  the  lion  in  his  den." 
The  phrase  originated  anion <?  the 
Scottish  nobles  who  conspired  to 
ruin  James  III.'s  favourite,  Coch- 
ran. See  Scott's  Tales  of  a  Grand- 
father, chap.  xxii. 

Bended,  cocked 

Bend-leather,  thick  leather  for 
boot  soles 

Berwick,  Duke  of.  James  Fitz- 
James,  the  natural  son  of  King 
James  II.  of  England,  was  made 
a  marshal  of  France 

Bicker,  a  wooden  drinking-cup 

Bickering  (fire),  flickering,  quiv- 
ering 

Bide,  to  wait,  stay 

Biggonet,  a  linen  cap,  coif 

BiRKiE,  a  lively  little  fellow  ;  the 
game  of  beggar-my-neighbour 

BiRLixG,  drinking  in  company 

Bit  and  the  buffet,  sustenance 
with  hard  usage 

Blackavised,  black-visaged 

Black-jack,  a  large  waxed  pitcher 
for  holding  ale 

Blackness,  a  castle,  and  formerly  a 
state  prison,  situated  on  the  Firth 
of  Forth,  Linlithgowshire 

Blythe,  cheerful,  happy,  pleased 


366 


WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 


Bogle,  a  bogie,  ghost 

BoTHWELL  Brig.  See  Old  Mortality, 
chaps,  xxxi.  and  xxxii. 

BouK,  a  body,  carcase,  bulk  of 
body 

BouL,  a  handle 

BouROCK,  a  mound,  barrow,  heap 
of  earth  ;  a  misei'able  hut 

Brach,  a  hunting-hound 

Brae,  a  hill ;  braeside,  a  hillside 

Brander,  to  broil,  grill 

Braw,  brave,  fine 

Brawl,  a  French  dance,  cotillion 

Brent,  straight  and  smooth 

Brewis,  the  scum  caused  by  boiling 

Brewster,  a  brewer 

Bride  ix,  taken  to  the  bridal 
chamber 

Broche,  a  roasting-spit 

Bruce  to  kill  a  spider,  an  illu- 
sion to  the  story  of  Robert  Bruce 
and  the  spider 

Busk,  to  deck,  bind  up 

Cabage,  to  cut  off  a  deer's  head  be- 
hind the  horns 

Cabrach,  or  Buck  of  Cabrach,  a 
mountain  near  the  western  boun- 
dary of  Aberdeenshire 

Cadgy,  cheerful,  sportive 

Caicklixg,  cackling,  laughing 

Gallant,  a  young  lad 

Campaign    of .       See    Spanish 

generals 

Campvere,  or  camphire,  a  small 
Dutch  town  on  the  island  of 
Walcheren,  where  from  1444  to 
1795  the  Scots  had  a  privileged 
trading  factory 

Cannon-bit,  a  smooth  round  bit  for 
horses 

Canny,  careful,  shrewd,  useful ;  (in 
the  negative)  peculiar,  possessed 

Cantabit  vacuus,  he  may  sing  be- 
fore thieves  who  has  empty 
pockets — Juvenal,  xi.  22. 

Cantrips,  tricks  spells,  incantations 

Canty,  cheerful,  merry 

Capot,  to  win  all  the  tricks  in  pic- 
quet,  a  form  of  exclamation 

Carbonade,  to  broil,  grill 

Carcake,  a  small  cake  eaten  on 
Shrove  Tuesday 

Carle,  a  fellow 

Carline,  an  old  woman,  jade 

Cast  o',  kind  of 

Castor,  a  fur  hat 

Caught  in  the  manner,  caught  in 
a  criminal  act 


Cauld  Be  MY  cast,  cold  be  my  fate 
or  lot 

Cavesson,  a  horse's  noseband 

Cedant  arma  togje,  let  arms  give 
place  to  the  insignia  of  peace 

Chamber  of  dais,  the  best  bed- 
room, kept  for  guests  of  consider- 
ation 

Change  a  leg.  In  the  old  coach- 
ing  days  inside  passengers 
changed  legs  with  consent  of  their 
opposite  neighbour 

Change-house,  an  inn 

Chappin,  a  liquid  measure  =  1 
quart 

Chappit,  struck  (of  a  clock) 

Chateau  qui  parle.  etc.  (p.  221), 
when  a  fortress  parleys  and  a  lady 
listens,  both  are  on  the  point  of 
surrendering 

Chaumf.r,  a  chamber 

Cheek  of  the  chimney-nook,  the 
fireside,  chimney-corner 

Chield,  a  fellow 

Circus  of  Rome.  See  Green  and 
blue  chariots 

Clavering,  chattering,  talkative 

Clavers,  idle  gossip 

Claver'se,  .John  Grahame  of  Cla- 
verhouse.  Viscount  Dundee 

Claw  up  your  mittens,  to  finish 
you,  give  you  the  coup  de  grace 

Clockin  hen,  a  sitting  hen 

Cockernony,  a  top-knot 

Cog,  to  empty  or  pour  out 

Cogging,  quibbling,  deceiving, 
cheating 

CoLDiNGHAME  Abbey,  or  rather 
Priory,  founded  by  King  Edgar  in 
the  last  years  of  the  11th  century, 
a  few  miles  from  Eyemouth,  on 
the  coast  of  Berwickshire 

CoMMONTY,  right  of  pasture  on  the 
commons 

COMPT   AND   RECKONING,  a   ScotS  laW 

process  enforcing  settlement  of 
accounts 

CoNDiCTio  indebiti,  a  claim  for  re- 
covering a  sum  that  has  been 
paid  when  it  was  not  due 

Conscript  fathers,  the  title  given 
to  the  senators  of  ancient  Rome 

Cookie,  a  Scotch  bun 

Copper  Captain,  a  counterfeit  cap- 
tain.  See  Beaumont  and 
Fletcher's  Rnle  a  Wife  and  have  a 
Wife 

Cordery,  Mr.,  a  name  suggested  by 
Corderius,  the  teacher  of  Calvin, 


GLOSSARY 


367 


and  author  of  a  book  of  Latin 
dialogues  once  extensively  used 
in  schools 

Coup-gorge,  cut-throat 

CouTEAU,  a  hunting-knife 

Cracks,  gossip,  boasting 

Crimp,  to  kidnap 

Critic,  a  play  by  Sheridan 

Crook,  a  chain  for  suspending  a  pot 
in  old  fireplaces 

Crowdy,  a  thick  pottage  made  of 
oatmeal 

CuiTLE,  to  diddle,  get  by  cheating 

CuL  DE  LAMPE,  a  pictorial  orna- 
ment, tailpiece 

CuLLioN,  a  poltroon 

CuMBERNA'-LD,  the  scat  of  the  an- 
cient icimily  of  Fleming  (Lord 
Elphinstone),  situated  15  miles 
northeast  of  Glasgow 

Cummer,  a  gossip  or  friend 

Cutty,  short 

Daffing,  frolicking,  larking,  fun 

Daft,  crazy 

Dais.     See  Chamber  of  dais 

Dandilly,  noted  for  beauty 

Dang,  drove,  knocked 

Dead-deal,  the  board  on  which  a 
dead  body  is  stretched 

Debitum  fundi,  a  real  burden  on 
the  estate 

Decore,  to  decorate ;  decorements, 
decorations 

Demele,  an  encounter,  alterca- 
tion 

Demi-saker,  a  light  fieldpiece,  smpll 
cannon 

Dentier,  more  dainty 

Diet-loaf,  a  sweet  cake 

Digito  monstrari,  to  be  pointed  at 
with  finger 

Ding,  to  knock,  drive,  beat 

Dink,  trim,  neat 

DiRGiE,  a  funeral  entertainment 

Dirk,  a  dagger 

DisNA,  does  not 

Dispone  upon,  bestowed  upon 

DiTTAY,  an  indictment,  accusation 

Doited,  dotard,  stupid 

Don  Gayferos,  a  nephew  of  the 
chivalric  Roland,  and  one  of  the 
Twelve  Peers  of  Charlemagne 

Donnart,  stupid 

Doo,  a  dove,  pigeon 

Dour,  stubborn 

Drap-de-berry,  a  cloth  made  at 
Berri  in  France 

Dreigh,  slow,  lingering 


Dribble,  a  drop 

Drouthy,  dry 

Drucken,  drunk 

Drumlanrig,  the  ancient  seat  of  the 
Queensberry  family  (now  belongs 
tothatofBuccleuch),  on  theNith, 
parish  of  Durisdeer,  Dumfries- 
shire 

Dundee.  John  Grahame  of  Clav- 
erhoase,  Viscount  Dundee,  a  sup- 
porter of  the  Stuarts 

Dung,  knocked,  driven 

DuNSH,  to  nudge 

DwiNiNG,  declining,  pining  away 

Earth  (of  a  badger),  a  hole 

East  Lothian,  another  name  for 
Haddingtonshire 

Eatche,  adze 

Ebb,  shallow 

Eclaircissement,  explanation 

Ee,  an  eye  ;  een,  eyes 

Egeria,  the  nymph  who  used  to 
meet  King  Numa  Pompilius  in  a 
grove  near  Rome 

Elbo'-jigger,  a  fiddler 

Elfland,  fairyland 

Eneucit,  enough 

ExiES,  hysterics 

Expiry  of  the  legal,  the  expira- 
tion of  the  period  in  which  an  es- 
tate seized  by  adjudication  {q.v.) 
may  be  redeemed 

Eyas,  a  hawk  brought  up  from  the 
nest 

Factor,  a  steward 

Failyie,  to  fail 

Fash,  to  trouble 

Feckless,  feeble,  silly 

Fell,  terrible  ;  a  hide,  skin 

Feuar,  a  Scotch  lease-holder  ;  feu- 
rights,  absolute  rights  of  prop- 
erty, in  return  for  the  payment 
of  a  trifling  sum  annually 

FiDUs  Achates,  faithful  companion 

Fit,  the  foot 

Flam,  flan,  or  flawn,  a  kind  of 
custard 

Flankard,  the  side  of  the  lower 
part  of  the  abdomen 

Flightering,  transient 

Flisk,  a  caper,  whim 

Florentine,  a  kind  of  pie 

Flyte,  to  scold,  storm  in  anger 

Fog,  moss 

Forbye,  besides 

FoRDUN,  .ToHN  OF,  an  early  Scottish 
chronicler  of  the  14th  century 


368 


WAYERLEY  NOVELS. 


FoRESPEAK,  to  bewitch,  presage  evil 

of 
Forgather,  to  come  together,  meet 

one  another 
Fou,  a  bushel 
Foul  thief,  the  devil 
Found,  to  go,  depend 
FoY,    an  entertainment   given   by- 
friends  to   one  wlio  is  about  to 

leave  them  for  good 
Fractious,    rebellious,    difficult  to 

deal  with 
Freit,  an  omen 
Fremd,  strange 
Frogs,  an  ornamental  fastening  of 

a  coat  or  mantle,  generally  a  long 

button  and  a  loop 
FuGiTATiON,     a    criminal's     fleeing 

from  justice — a  Scots  law  term 
Furnishes     (deer's),    presumably 

droppings  ;  hence  track 

Gaberlunzie,  a  beggar,  mendicant 

Gae,  to  go 

Gaisling,  a  gosling 

Galloway,   a  Scotch  cob.    named 

from    the    district   of    Galloway 

where  originally  bred 
Gang,  to  go  ;  gane,  gone 
Gar,  to  make,  oblige 
Gate,  direction,  place,  way 
Gauger,  an  exciseman 
Gaunch,   a  snatch  with  the  open 

mouth,  bite 
Gawsie,  plump,  jolly 
Gear,  property 
Geizened,  leaky,  as  a  barrel  kept 

too  long  dry 
Georgius,  a  gold  George-noble  ( =(3s. 

8d.),    time    of    Henry   VIII.,    St. 

George  being  the  device  on  the 

obverse 
GIF,  if 
GiNES    de    Passamonte.      See    Don 

Quixote,  pt.  ii.  chap,  xxviii.,  and 

pt.  i.  chap.  xxii. 
Gird,  a  hoop 
GiRN,  to  grin 

Glazen,  furnished  with  glass 
Gledging,  looking  askance 
Gleed,  a  spark,  flame 
Gleeing,  squinting 
Glent,  to  whisk,  flash 
Glower,  to  gaze,  stare 
Gob-box,  the  mouth 
GowD,  gold 

Gowk,  a  fool  ;  a  cuckoo 
GowRiE  CONSPIRACY,  a    mysterious 


attempt  to  assassinate  James  VI. 
of  Scotland  by  Lord  Ruthven  and 
his  brother,  the  Earl  of  Gowrie, 
in  1600 

Grahame  to  wear  green.  The 
Marquis  of  Montrose,  a  Grahame, 
was  driven  to  execution  in  a  cart 
of  green  alder ;  fulfilling  an  old 
prophecy— "  Visa  la  fin  (Mont- 
rose's motto).  On  an  ouler  (alder) 
tree  green,  Shall  by  many  be 
seen ' ' 

Graith,  furniture 

Gravaminous,  serious,  important 

Green  and  blue  chariots.  In  the 
reign  of  Justinian,  emperor  of  the 
Eastern  Empire,  the  rivalries  of 
the  blue  and  green  charioteers, 
who  raced  in  the  circus  at  Byzan- 
tium, developed  into  political  fac- 
tions powerful  enough  to  serious- 
ly disturb  the  state 

Greet,  to  weep 

Greybeard,  a  stone  jar  for  holding 
ale  or  liquor 

Grogram,  a  coarse  textile  fabric 

Grund-mail,  rent  for  the  ground 

GuDEMAN,  the  head  of  the  house, 
the  husband 

GuDESiRE,  a  grandfather 

GuDEWiFE,  a  wife,  as  head  of  her 
house,  landlady 

Guides,  managers,  guiders ;  guid- 
ing, treating,  behaving  to 

GusTiNG  THEIR  GABS,  tickliiig  their 
palates 

Guy  of  Warwick,  the  hero  of  an 
Early  English  romance,  one  of 
whose  feats  was  to  overcome  a 
famous  Dun  Cow  on  Dunsmore 
Heath,  near  Warwick 

Hackstoun  of  Rathillet,  a  fanati- 
cal Cameronian,  one  of  the  mur- 
derers of  Archbishop  Sharp  of  St. 
Andrews  in  1679 

Hac4gis,  a  Scotch  pudding  of  minced 
meat,  mixed  with  oatmeal,  suet, 
onions,  etc.,  boiled  in  a  skin  bag 

Haill  and  feir,  whole  and  sound, 
complete  and  entire 

Hale,  haill,  whole 

Half-fou,  half-bushel 

Hamilton,  on  the  Clyde,  Lanark- 
shire, the  principal  seat  of  the 
ducal  family  of  Hamilton.  The 
wild  cattle  still  roam  through  the 
extensive  parks 

Harled,  dragged 


GLOSSARY. 


369 


Hatted  kit,  a  bowl  of  sour  or  cur- 
dled cream 

Haud,  to  hold ;  haud  out,  to  pre- 
sent a  firearm 

Heather-cow,  a  twig  or  tuft  of 
heath 

Heezy,  a  hoist,  swing  up 

Heir  of  Linne,  this  old  ballad  is 
printed  in  Percy's  Reliques 

Hellicat,  devil-may-care 

Hell  is  paved,  etc.,  the  phrase  is 
due  to  Dr.  Johnson ;  the  idea  is 
common  to  several  writers ;  cf. 
George  Herbert's  Jacula  Pniden- 
tium 

Henrietta  Maria,  queen-consort 
of  Charles  I.,  and  daughter  of 
Henry  IV.  of  France 

Hermit  sage  of  Johnson,  Dr.  John- 
son's parody  on  a  poem  by  T. 
Warton.  See  Boswell's  Life,  under 
year  1777 

Hope,  Bard  of,  Thomas  Campbell, 
author  of  Pleasures  of  Hope 

Hough,  a  thigh,  ham 

Housewifeskep,  housewifery 

How,  a  hollow 

HuMLOCK,  a  hemlock 

Hyke  a  Talbot,  etc.  (p.  116),  hunt- 
ing terms  and  names  borrowed 
from  Dame  Juliana  Berners's 
Treatise  of  Havjking,  Hunting,  etc. 
(I486)— 5ooA;  of  St^Alhan's 

Ilka, each, every 

Ilka    land    its    ain   lauch,   every 

place  its  own  (law)  customs 
Ill-cleckit,  ill-hatched 
Ill-deedy  gett,  mischievous  urchin 
In  foro  contentioso,  in    the  law 

courts 
Ingan,  an  onion 
Inimicus  amicissimus,  an  enemy  is 

(sometimes)  the  best  of  friends 
Inlake,  a  breach,  loss,  death 
Inter  minores,  between  minors 
In  terrorem,  as  a  warning  to  others 
Irish  brigade,  a  body  of  troops  in 

the  pay  of  the  French  King 
Ither,  other 

Jacobus,  a  gold  coin  =  25s.,  first 
issued  by  James  I.  of  England 

Jess,  a  leathern  strap  fixed  round  a 
hawk's  leg 

Joe,  a  sweetheart,  darling 

John  Churchill,  the  great  sol- 
dier, the  Duke  of  Marlborough  of 
Anne's  reign 

24 


Johnny  New  -  come,  a  new-comer 

upstart 
Jow,  a  toll 

Kail,  broth  ;  kail-yard,  a  cabbage 
garden 

Kain,  a  tribute  in  kind,  as  of  poul- 
try, eggs,  cheese,  etc.,  from  ten- 
ant to  landlord 

Kaiser,  the  Emperor  of  Germany 

Kebbuck,  a  cheese 

Keekit,  peeped 

Keep  her  threep,  keep  her  resolu- 
tion 

Kelpie,  a  water-spirit 

Ken,  to  know 

Kenspeckle,  conspicuous,  easily 
recognised 

KiMMER,  a  gossip,  friend 

Kindly  aid,  a  contribution  in  kind, 
payable  to  the  landlord  by  the 
tenant 

KiPPAGE,  a  rage,  dilemma 

Kipper,  a  dried  salmon 

KisT,  a  chest,  coffin 

Kittle,  to  tickle;  ticklish 

Knowe,  a  knoll,  eminence 

Lammer,  amber 

Lammer  Law,  one  of  the  Lammer- 
moor  hills,  8  miles  south  of  Had- 
dington 

L'Amphitkion  ou  l'on  dine,  the 
man  who  really  pays  for  the  din- 
ner.    See  Plautus,  Ampkitruo 

Landward,  in  the  country,  rural 

Late-wake,  the  watch  over  a  dead 
body 

Lauch,  law,  customs 

Launder,  to  do  laundry  work 

Lawing,  a  bill,  reckoning 

Law's  scheme,  a  company  formed 
in  1717  by  John  Law  (of  Lauris- 
ton,  near  Edinburgh)  for  devel- 
oping the  resources  of  Louisiana 
and  the  Mississippi  valley,  which 
at  that  time  belonged  to  France 

Lee,  Nathaniel,  dramatist,  went 
insane  through  drink,  wrote  The 
Rival  Queens;  or,  Alexander  the 
Great  (1677),  and  other  plays 

Leg,  change  a.    See  Change  a  leg 

Lift,  the  sky  ;  to  carry  off 

Links,  sandy  flat  ground  on  sea- 
coast,  dunes 

LipPEN,  to  trust 

LippENiNG  word,  occasional, 
thoughtless  word 

LiTH,  a  joint 


370 


WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 


Loon,  a  fellow 

Loot,  allowed,  permitted 

LouPEN,  leaped 

Lowe,  a  flame,  fire 

LucKiE,  mother,  a  title  given  to  old 

dames 
LuiTUR  CUM  PERSONA,  etc.  (p.  75;,  he 

pays  with  his  person  who  cannot 

pay  with  his  purse 
LuM,  a  chimney 
L'uN  n'empeche,  etc.  (p.  130),  the 

one  is  no  hindrance  to  the  other 
LuNYiEs,  loins 
LuRDANE,  a  blockhead 

Mail,  tax,  rent 

Mailing,  a  small  farm 

Main,  a  hand  at  dice,  match  at 
cock-fighting 

Mair,  maist,  more,  most 

MaItre  d'armes,  swordsman,  fen- 
cing-master 

Malleus  Malificarum  (nine  edi- 
tions before  1496),  by  Kramer  and 
Sprenger,  describing  the  processes 
against  witches 

Manse,  a  parsonage 

Maun,  must 

Maut,  malt 

Meal-poke,  a  meal-bag 

Melter,  a  herring  full  of  milt 

Mephibosheth,  a  character  in  Dry- 
den's  Absalom  and  Achitophel 

Merk  =  Is.  IJd. 

Merse,  Berw^ickshire 

Messan,  a  cur 

METALL'd  (lads),  mettled,  full  of 
spirit 

Mile,  Scottish,  nearly  nine  fur- 
longs 

Mill,  or  mull,  a  snuff-box 

Miranda,  the  heroine  of  Shake- 
speare's Tempest 

Mirk,  dark 

MiSGiE,  to  go  wrong,  fail 

Mittens.  See  Claw  up  your  mit- 
tens 

MON  DiEU  !    IL    Y    EN    A    DEUX,  Good 

Heavens  !  there  are  two  of  them 
MoNTERO    CAP,    a     horseman's     or 

huntsman's  cap  wath  ear-flaps 
MoRLAND,  George,  a  clever  English 

painter,  but  a  man  of  dissipated 

habits,  who  died  in  1804 
Moss,  a  morass,  marsh 
M  o  u  N  T  A  I  N-MAN,   a  Camerouiaii, 

strictest  set  of  Covenanters 
Mr.  Puff,  a  character  in  Sheridan's 

Critic 


MucKLE,  much 

Mull,  a  snuff-horn 

MuLTiPLEPOiNDiNG,  a  Scots  law  pro- 
cess, the  English  interpleader,  for 
settling  competing  claims  to  one 
and  the  same  fund 

MuRGEONS,  mouths,  grimaces 

Nae,  naebody,  naething,  no,  no- 
body, nothing 

Nar,  never 

Neque  dives,  neque,  etc.  (p.  171), 
No  Scotchman  of  merit,  be  he 
rich,  brave,  or  even  wise,  will  be 
able  to  remain  long  in  his  coun- 
try.    Envy  will  drive  him  out 

Neuk,  nook,  corner 

NoMBLEs,  or  numbles,  the  entrails 
of  a  deer 

Northampton,  Earl  of.  Henry 
Howard,  younger  brother  of 
Thomas,  fourth  Duke  of  Norfolk, 
born  1540,  was  prominent  dur- 
ing the  reigns  of  Elizabeth  and 
James  I. 

North  Berwick  Law,  a  conical  hill 
near  North  Berwick 

Nouriceship,  the  office  of  nurse 

NowT,  black  cattle 

NuMA,  the  second  of  the  legendary 
kings  of  ancient  Rome 

NuPTA  ;  Domum  Ducta  ;  Obiit  ;  Se- 
PULT.;  wedded;  taken  home;  died; 
buried 

Offcome,  an  apology,  excuse 
Orange,  Prince  of.      See  Spanish 

generals 
Out-bye,  from  home 
Overcrow,  to  overpower,  triumph 

over 
OwERLOOK,  to  ignore 
Oxter,  the  armpit 

Pacolet,  a  dwarf,  owner  of  a  winged 
horse,  in  the  legend  of  Valentine 
and  Orson 

Painting.    See  Serene  and  silent  art 

Pand,  a  pledge ;  a  bed-curtain 

Parochine,  a  parish 

Parve,  NEC  invideo,  ctc.  (p.  20), 
Thou  art  about  to  go,  but  alone, 
into  the  busy  city,  my  little  book 
—I  grudge  thee  not  thy  lot 

Pas  d'avance,  the  lead,  precedence 

Patria  potestas,  paternal  author- 
ity 

Pearlings,  lace 

Peat,  a  person  of  insufferable  pride 


GLOSSARY. 


371 


Pegh,  to  pant,  breathe  hard 

Petticoat-tail,  a  kind  of  cake 
baked  with  butter 

Petty  cover,  for  petit  couvert,  a  meal 
not  eaten  in  ceremonious  state 

Pew,  the  plaintive  cry  of  certain 
birds;  couldna  hae  played  pew, 
could  not  have  drawn  a  note  from 

Pickle,  a  small  quantity 

PiCK-MAW.  a  species  of  gull 

Pig,  a  stoneware  vessel,  pitcher 

Pine,  to  pain,  punish 

PiNNYWiNKLES,  an  instrument  of 
torture  consisting  of  a  board  with 
holes,  into  which  the  fingers  were 
thrust  and  pressed  with  screw- 
pegs 

Pixt,  Scotch  =  3  English  pints 

Pique,  repique,  and  capot,  terms 
used  in  the  game  of  picquet 

Pirn,  a  reel 

Pit-mirk,  as  dark  as  pitch 

Pize,  a  term  of  mild  execration 

Placebo,  a  sop 

Plack,  a  small  copper  coin  =  id 
penny 

Pliskie,  a  prank,  trick 

Ploy,  a  merry-making 

Plumdamas,  for  prune  de  damas,  a 
damask  plum,  i.e.  a  damson 
(tart) 

Pock-pudding,  a  Scotchman's  con- 
temptuous name  for  an  English- 
man 

Point,  quint,  and  quatorze,  terms 
used  in  the  game  of  picquet 

Point  d'appui,  a  support 

Point  d'  Espagne,  a  sort  of  French 
lace  esteemed  in  Spain  in  the  17th 
century 

Poke,  a  bag 

Posso,  IN  Mannor  Water,  in  Pee- 
blesshire 

PouTHERED,  comed,  slightly  salted 

Prester  John,  legendary  king  of 
Abyssinia 

Pretty  man,  a  brave  man,  athletic 
and  skilled  in  the  use  of  his  weap- 
ons 

Propine,  a  gift 

PuND  Scots  =  Is.  8d.  sterling 

Pyke,  pick 

QuAiGH,  a  drinking-cup  of  hooped 
staves,  ornamented  with  silver. 
It  held  about  a  pint,  and  was 
chiefly  used  for  wine  and  brandy 

Quarter's  length,  a  quarter  of  a 
yard 


Quean,  a  sprightly  young  woman, 
flirt 

Rae,  a  roe-deer 

Railly  or  rail,  a  kind  of  cloak  or 
kerchief  for  the  neck  and  head 

Raven-bone,  the  spoon-bone  of  the 
brisket,  thrown  by  hunters  to  the 
ravens,  in  cutting  up  the  stag 

Reaving,  thieving 

Redd,  to  clear,  tidy 

Red  wud,  downright  mad 

Reek,  smoke 

Reested,  smoke-dried 

Remigius,  Nicolaus,  or  Nicholas 
of  Remy,  author  of  a  work  on 
witchcraft  (1595) 

Reponed,  used  ?.s  a  reply 

Reverence,  bacon  with,  bacon  with 
its  garnishings  or  belongings 

RiFLER,  a  hawk  that  does  not  re- 
turn to  the  lure 

Ring-walk,  the  track  of  a  stag 

Roar  you  an  'twere  any  nightin- 
gale. See  Midsummer  Nighfs 
Dream,  Act  i.  Sc.  2 

Round,  to  whisper 

Roup,  an  auction 

RuDAs,  a  scolding  jade 

Runlet,  a  barrel,  holding  18i  gal- 
lons 

Sae,  so 

St.  Clair  to  cross  the  Ord  on  a 
Monday.  The  Earl  of  Orkney, 
chief  of  the  Sinclairs  or  St.  Clairs, 
led  his  men  on  a  Monday  over 
Ord  Hill  on  the  way  to  Flodden, 
where  they  all  perished  to  a 
man 

Saint  Germains,  near  Paris,  where 
James  II.  held  court  during  his 
exile 

St.  Margaret,  niece  of  Edward  the 
Confessor,  and  wife  of  Malcolm 
Canmore  ;  her  day  is  June  10th 

Sair,  sore 

Samyn,  same 

Sant,  a  saint 

Saraband,  a  Spanish  dance 

Sark,  a  shirt 

Saul,  soul 

Saumon,  a  salmon 

Saut,  salt 

Scart,  a  scratch 

ScAUD,  to  scald 

Sclate,  a  slate ;  sclater,  a  slater 

Scotch  pint  =  3  English  pints 

Scottish  mile,  nearly  nine  furlongs 


372 


WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 


ScRAUGH,  a  screech,  loud,  discordant 

ScREiGH,  to  shriek,  scream 

Scunner,  to  loath,  shudder  with 
aversion 

Serene  and  silent  art  (painting) . 
See  Campbell's  Stanzas  to  Painting 

Sets,  becomes,  suits 

Seven  sleepers,  martyrs  of  Ephe- 
sus,  who,  according  to  the  legend, 
slept  in  a  cave  from  the  reign  of 
the  Emperor  Decius  to  that  of 
Theodosius  II.,  a  period  of  196 
years 

Seven  wise  masters,  the  seven  sages 
of  ancient  Greece 

Shaughle,  to  wear  down,  shuflfle 

Shins  to  pine  (punish),  e.g.  the  tor- 
ture of  the  boot 

Shot  of,  to  be,  to  get  quit  of 

Shovel-board,  a  game  in  which  the 
players  try  to  shove  or  drive  coins 
or  counters  on  to  certain  marks, 
lines,  or  squares  on  the  table 

Sic,  siccan,  such 

Singles,  the  talons  of  a  hawk 

Sir  Evan  Dhu,  Sir  Evan  Cameron 
of  Lochiel,  a  famous  Highland 
chief  and  supporter  of  the  Stuarts, 
fought  at  Killiecrankie  in  1689 

Sir  Joshua,  i.e.  Sir  Joshua  Rey- 
nolds, the  painter 

Skioch  doch  na  skiaill,  cut  a  drink 
with  a  tale,  i.e.  Don't  preach  over 
your  liquor 

Skirl,  to  scream 

Sliddery,  slippery 

Sloken,  to  slake,  quench 

Snap,  a  small  gingerbread 

Sneckdrawing,  cunning ;  s  n  e  c  k  - 
DRAWER,  an  artful,  cunning  per- 
son 

Snishing,  sneeshin,  sneeshing, 
snuff 

SoopiT,  swept 

Soothfast,  trusty,  honest 

Sopite,  to  settle,  set  at  rest 

Sort,  to  supply,  suit;  to  give  a 
drubbing 

Sough,  a  rumour,  whisper ; 
SOUGHED,  softly  breathed,  whis- 
pered 

Soup,  a  sup  ;  mouthful 

SouPLE,  a  cudgel 

SowENS,  a  kind  of  gruel  made  from 
the  soured  siftings  of  oatmeal 

Spae,  to  foretell 

Spanish  generals  and  Prince  of 
Orange.    William  of  Orange  com- 


manded 20,000  Spaniards  in  the 
campaign  against  France,  1554-57 

Speer,  to  ask,  invite,  inquire 

Sprengerus.  Jacob  Sprenger,  joint 
author  of  Malleus  Malificarum 

Spule-bane,  the  shoulder-blade 

Spunk,  a  spark,  match 

Spurs,  dish  of.  Scott's  ancestress, 
the  Flower  of  Yarrow,  is  said  to 
have  reminded  her  lord,  Auld 
Wat  of  Harden,  a  celebrated  Bor- 
der raider,  that  the  larder  was 
empty,  by  placing  on  the  table  a 
dish  containing  a  pair  of  clean 
spurs — a  hint  to  ride  into  Eng- 
land. See  Lockhart's  Life,  vol.  i. 
p.  93 

Steading,  a  farm,  farmyard 

Steer,  to  disturb 

Stickit,  imperfect,  broken  down 

Stoup,  a  liquid  measure 

Stouthrief,  robbery  with  violence 

Strae,  straw 

Straught,  to  stretch,  make  straight 

Streik,  to  stretch,  lay  out 

Sub  Jove  frigido,  in  the  open  air 

Suburb,  outlying  (district  place) 

Sumph,  a  blockhead,  dunce 

SuNE,  soon 

SuRBATED,  foot-sore 

SuuM  cuiQUE  TRiBUiTO,  givc  to  each 
his  own 

Swanking,  active,  agile 

Swap,  a  barter,  exchange  ;  to  strike 
soundly 

Swauk,  a  swack,  thwack,  violent 
blow 

Swire,  a  mountain  pass 

Sybo,  a  young  onion 

Sycorax,  a  witch,  the  mother  of  Cal- 
iban, in  Shakespeare's  Tempest 

Synd,  to  rinse 

Syne,  since,  ago 

Tack,  a  lease,  possession 

Taid,  a  toad 

Tait,  a  bunch,  handful 

Take  one's  gait,  to  go  one's  own 
way 

Tap  of  tow,  bunch  of  tow  on  the 
distaff  that  readily  catches  fire 

Tass,  a  glass 

Tauridor,  a  bull-fighter 

Teind,  a  tithe 

Tenony,  stringy,  sinewy 

Teugh,  tough 

Thickset,  a  kind  of  fustian,  resem- 
bling velveteen  in  appearance 

Thomas  the  Rhymer,  of  Ercildoune 


GLOSSARY. 


373 


(Earlston)  in  Berwickshire,  an 
ancient  Scottish  poet  and  pro- 
phet and  a  favourite  legendary 
hero 

"Thou  sweetest  thing,"  etc.  (p. 
224)  from  Joanna  Baillie's  Con- 
stantine  Palxologus,  Act  ii.  Sc.  2 

Thowless,  inactive,  remiss 

Thraw,  to  twist  itself,  distort  itself; 
a  twist 

Threep,  keep  her.  See  Keep  her 
threep 

Through-stane,  thruch-stane,  a 
flat  gravestone 

Timmer,  timber ;  timmer  burse,  the 
exchange  of  the  timber-merchants 

TiPPENCE,  twopence 

Tocher-good,  dowry- 
Ton,  a  fox 

Tod's  Den,  also  called  in  other  pas- 
sages Tod's  Hole,  and  stated  to  be 
5  to  6  miles  from  Wolfs  Crag  ^ 

Tokay,  a  fiery  Hungarian  wine 

Tolbooth, a  gaol 

Tongue  of  the  trump,  the  part  of 
a  jews-harp  that  makes  the 
sound  ;  hence  the  essential  or 
principal  person  concerned 

Tout,  the  pet ;  a  fit  of  ill-temper 

Traprain,  or  Traprain  Law,  a 
conspicuous  conical  hill  4  miles 
east  of  Haddington 

Tredrille,  a  game  of  cards  played 
by  three  persons 

Tristrem,  Sir,  a  knight  of  the 
Round  Table,  famous  in  the 
chase 

TwA,  two 

T  w  a  L,  twelve;  twal  pennies 
Scotch  =  one  penny  of  English 
money 

TwiLT,  a  quilted  bed-cover 

Umquhile,  deceased,  late 

1  A  few  other  irregularities  of  a 
similar  kind  occur  in  this  novel :  as 
Lady  Ashton  is  called  Margaret  and 
Eleanor  ;  Girder,  John  and  Gibbie ; 
the  sexton,  Mortsheugh  and  Mort- 
heuch. 


Una,  the  heroine  of  Spenser's  Faerie 

Queene 
Unco,  uncommon 

Vaik,  to  be  vacant 

Versailles,  the  court  of  Louis 
XIV.  of  France 

Via  facti,  by  force 

Virginals,  an  old  sort  of  piano 

Visie,  an  inspection 

VisNOMY,  physiognomy,  face,  fea- 
tures 

ViVERS,  victuals 

Wadset,  a  mortgage,  pledge ;  wad- 
setter, a  usurer,  mortgager 

Wae,  woe ;  woeful,  sorry 

Wame,  belly 

Wap,  a  smart  stroke 

Ware,  to  spend,  bestow 

Warlock,  a  witch 

Wastland,  west  country 

Wat,  to  wet 

Water-purpie,  the  brook  lime  or 
horsewell  grass 

Waur,  worse 

Wean,  an  infant,  small  child 

Weid,  a  feverish  cold 

Whample,  a  blow 

Wheen,  a  few 

Whigmaleeries,  fancy  toys 

Whiles,  now  and  again 

Whim-wham,  fancy  pastry 

Whim-bush,  a  furze  bush 

Whinstane,  greenstone,  ragstone 

White-hass,  a  meat  pudding 

Whomling,  turning  upside  down 

WiLLAWiNs,  woe's  me,  well-a-day 

Will  to  Cupar  maun  to  Cupar,  a 
wilful  man  must  have  his  way 

Win,  to  make  way,  get 

Wind  him  a  pirn,  to  cause  him 
trouble,  annoyance 

Withie,  the  gallows,  a  halter 

Won  into,  made  way  into 

Woodie,  the  gallows 

WuD,  mad 

Wyte,  blame,  responsibility 

Yestreen,  yesternight 

YiLL,  ale 

Yowl,  to  yell,  give  tongue 


INDEX 


Alice,  Old,  53,  55 ;  visited  by  Sir 
W.  Ashton  and  Lucy,  56 ;  by 
Lucy  and  Ravens  wood ,  205  ; 
warns  Ravenswood,  209;  her 
death,  256;  laid  out  by  the  old 
women,  259 

Armitage  churchyard,  262,  263 

Ashton,  Colonel  Sholto  Douglas,  49 ; 
resents  Ravenswood' s  intrusion, 
330;  opens  the  door  of  bridal 
chamber,  346 ;  challenges  Ravens- 
wood at  the  funeral,  352 ;  waits 
for  Ravenswood,  356 

Ashton,  Henry,  48  ;  his  terror  at 
Ravenswood,  202;  shoots  the 
raven,  218 ;  begs  ribbon  and  wire 
from  Lucy,  311 ;  distresses  Lucy, 
316 ;  his  pleasure  in  his  new 
clothes,  327  ;  rides  to  the  wed- 
ding, 341 

Ashton,  Lady,  37  ;  her  matrimonial 
views  for  Lucy,  232  ;  hergi-acious 
reception  of  Craigengelt,  237  ;  her 
carriage  races  with  the  Marquis  of 

A 's,  242 ;  vents  her  resentment 

against  Sir  William,  247 ;  bids 
Ravenswood  leave  the  castle,  248  ; 
her  reply  to  Ravenswood's  letter, 
298 ;  manages  Backlaw's  inter- 
view with  Lucy,  306 ;  persecutes 
Lucy,  314 ;  signs  the  marriage 
articles,  328 ;  adduces  Scripture 
against  Ravenswood,  335 ;  her 
subsequent  history,  357 

Ashton,  Lucy,  47  ;  takes  her  father 
to  Old  Alice,  54 ;  rescued  from 
the  wild  bull,  63  ;  makes  an  im- 
pression on  Ravenswood,  70;  at 
the  hunt,  116,  122 ;  finds  shelter 
at  Wolfs  Crag,  123  ;  her  terror  at 
the  storm,  133;  manner  towards 
Ravenswood,  188  ;  guides  him  to 
Old  Alice,  205;  betrothes  herself 
to  Ravenswood,  214 ;  her  rela- 
tions with  him,  223  ;  her  letter  to 
Ravenswood,  300;  her  interview 


with  Bucklaw,  306 ;  her  trials  and 
distresses,  313  ;  put  under  Ailsie 
Gourlay's  care,  319  ;  subjected  to 
Bide -the -Bent's  influence,  323; 
signs  the  marriage  articles,  329 ; 
meets  Ravenswood's  challenge, 
334 ;  on  her  wedding  morning, 
340 ;  discovered  a  maniac,  346 ; 
her  burial,  349 

Ashton,  Sir  William,  35  ;  informed 
of  the  tumult  at  Lord  Ravens- 
wood's funeral,  44 ;  his  reflections 
thereon,  45;  and  his  daughter,  50 ; 
visits  Old  Alice,  54 ;  encounters 
Ravenswood,  69  ;  tones  down  his 
report  of  the  tumult,  73 ;  accosts 
Ravenswood  at  the  hunt,  120; 
asks  shelter  at  Wolf's  Crag,  123 ; 
his  conciliatory  bearing,  131,  140, 
163 ;  strives  to  disarm  Ravens- 
wood's enmity,  166,  178  ;  sounded 

by  Marquis  of  A 's  agent,  170  ; 

reconciled  to  Ravenswood,  187 ; 
his  attention  to  domestic  matters, 
223;    awaiting    the     Marquis     of 

A 's    arrival,     238;     rated  by 

Lady  Ashton,  247;  threatened 
with  an  appeal  to  House  of  Peers, 
297,  313;  his  letter  to  Ravens- 
wood, 299;  signs  the  marriage 
articles.  329 

Author,  his  Introduction,  7 

Babie,  Alice's  attendant,  56 
Balderstone,  Caleb,  roused  by 
Ravenswood  and  Bucklaw,  91 ; 
his  subterfuges,  93,  98,  124,  135, 
181,  286;  collects  the  driblets  of 
claret,  98  ;  uncovers  the  herrings, 
110;  begs  Ravenswood  to  invite 
no  more  guests,  113 ;  shuts  out 
the  grooms,  126 ;  refuses  to  admit 
Bucklaw,  127 ;  announces  the  dis- 
aster to  the  dinner,  136 ;  his  rela- 
tions with  Wolf's  Hope,  142;  his 
requisitions  opposed,  145;  enters 


376 


WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 


Girder's  cottage,  149 ;  carries  off 
the  wild-fowl,  153;  propitiated  by 
Girder,  160;  warns  Ravenswood 
against  the  Ashtons,  192 ;  forces 
money  on  him,  194;  reports 
Wolfs  Crag  to  be  burning,  278 ; 
thanked  by  the  Girders,  281 ;  tells 
the  truth  about  the  tire,  286 ;  his 
anxiety  about  his  master,  353 ; 
last  entreaty  to  him,  355  ;  picks 
up  the  feather,  357  ;  his  last  days, 
357 

Ballantyne,  James  and  John,  360 

Bide-the-Bent,  Rev.  Mr.,  at  Gir- 
der's, 155  ;  employed  to  influence 
Lucy,  323 ;  his  prayer,  328  ;  tries 
to  preserve  peace,  332 ;  reads  the 
texts,  335 

Birnie,  Patie,  fiddler,  270 

Bittlebrains,  Lord,  his  hounds.  111 ; 
receives  the  Ashtons  and  Ravens- 
wood,  197 

Blenkensop,  Lady,  232 

Bride  of  Lammermoor.  See  Dal- 
rymple  family  and  Ashton,  Lucy 

Bride  of  Lammermoor,  the  novel. 
Author's  Introduction  to,  7 

Buchanan,  George,  jester,  360 

Bucklaw,  at  Tod's  Den,  76;  fights 
with  Ravenswood,  85;  takes 
refuge  at  Wolf's  Crag,  89 ;  com- 
plains of  his  lodging,  103  ;  sets  off 
for  the  hunt,  112;  cuts  up  the 
stag,  118 ;  refused  admittance  by 
Caleb,  127 ;  becomes  Laird  of 
Girnington,  226;  sends  Craigen- 
gelt  to  Lady  Ashton,  234 ;  dis- 
cusses his  own  marriage,  302  ;  his 
interview  with  Lucy,  306 ;  signs 
the  marriage  articles,  328  ;  resents 
Ravens  wood's  intrusion,  331; 
discovered  in  his  blood,  346 ;  his 
declaration  of  silence,  348 

Burial,  Scottish,  39,  349  ;  laying  out 
of a  corpse,  259 

Cattle,  wild,  61 
Charms,  curing  by,  342,  364 
Chiesley  of  Dairy,  60,  359 
Coldinghame,  Abbey  of,  262 
Craigengelt,  Captain,  at  Tod's  Den, 
76 ;    his    Jacobite    intrigues,    77 ; 
turns  up   at  Wolfs    Hope,  128; 
carries    Bucklaw's    challenge    to 
Wolfs  Crag,  181 ;  becomes  Buck- 
lawn's   factotum,   226 ;    his   matri- 
monial scheming,   230;    goes    as 
Bucklaw's  emissary  to  Lady  Ash- 
ton, 235 ;  arrives  at  Ravenswood 


Castle  with  Lady  Ashton,  246; 
discusses  Bucklaw's  marriage, 
302 ;  signs  the  marriage  articles, 
328 ;  spurned  by  Ravenswood, 
338 

Dais,  chamber  of,  290 

Dalrymple  family,  connection  with 

the  novel,  7,  359 
Dinsrwall,  Davie,  the  writer,  145 
Duke's  Walk,  Edinburgh,  349,  3&4 
Dunbar  of  Baldoon,  8 

Fast  Castle,  17 
Footmen,  running,  239,  363 
Funeral,  Scottish,  39,  349 

Girder,  Gibbie,  148 ;  his  indigna- 
tion against  Caleb,  156 ;  sends 
sack  and  brandy  after  him,  160; 
his  gratitude  to  Caleb,  280 ;  enter- 
tains Marquis  of  A ,  289 

Girder,  Mrs.,  150,  154,  280 

Girnington,  Lady,  77 

Glossary,  365 

Gourlay,  Ailsie,  at  Old  Alice's,  258  ; 
nurses  Lucy,  319  ;  prophesies  evil 
at  her  wedding,  342 ;  at  her  funer- 
al, 350 

Hamilton,   Sir  William,  of  White- 
law,  12 
Hayston,  Frank.    See  Bucklaw 
Hospitality,  ancient,  165,  361 

Justice,  administration  of,  in  Scot- 
land, 36 

Kelpie's  Flow,  Caleb's  warning, 
193;  engulfs  Ravenswood,  356 

Law's  Memorials,  quoted,  12 

Lightbody,  Luckie,  149;  beards 
Gibbie  Girder,  157 ;  entertains 
Marquis  of  A ,  289 

Lockhard,  offers  Ravenswood  his 
horse.  115  ;  at  Wolfs  Crag,  127, 137 

Lockhart,  Sir  George,  59,  359 

"  Look  not  thou  on  beauty's  charm- 
ing, 47 

Lord  Keeper.  See  Ashton,  Sir 
William 

Loup-the-Dyke,  Dame.  See  'Light- 
body,  Luckie 

Maggie,  the  paralytic  hag,  at  Old 
Alice's,  259 ;  at  Lucv's  wedding, 
342  ;  at  her  funeral,  350 

Marquis  of  A ,  105  ;  his  letter  to 


INDEX. 


377 


Ravenswood,  106;  sounds  Sir  W. 
Ashton,  170;  racing  of  his  car- 
riage, 242 ;  interview  with  Lady 
Ashton,  250 ;  counsels  Ravens- 
wood,  269  ;  entertained  at  Gibbie 
Girder's,  289 ;  succeeds  to  power, 
295 

Mermaiden's  Fountain,  legend  of, 
64  ;  betrothal  at,  215  ;  apparition 
there,  254 

Middleton's  3fadWorld,  363 

Mortsheugh,  the  sexton,  261 ;  inter- 
view with  Ravenswood,  263  ;  at 
Lucy's  wedding,  341,  343 

Mysie,  Caleb's  helper,  92,  95,  140; 
her  supposed  danger,  279 

Norman,  the  forester,  50 ;  quoted 
by  Henry  Ashton,  219 

Painting  and  poetry,  29 
Parliament,  appeal  to,  174,  180,  313, 

362 
Pattieson,  Peter,  his  Introduction, 

19 
Poor-man-of-mutton,  362 
Privy  council,  Scottish,  74 

Ravenswood,  Lord  Allan,  34 ;  fun- 
eral of,  39 

Ravenswood,  Malise  de,  46  ;  his  pic- 
ture, 202,  345 

Ravenswood,  Master  of,  at  his  fa- 
ther's funeral,  40  ;  rescues  Lucy, 
63 ;  declares  himself  to  Sir  W. 
Ashton,  69  ;  visits  Tod's  Den,  81 ; 
fights  with  Bucklaw,  85  ;  lodges 
him  in  Wolfs  Crag,  89;  his 
thoughts  of  lAicy,  103  ;  accosted 
by  Sir  W.  Ashton  at  the  hunt, 
120 ;  shelters  him  and  Lucy  in 
Wolf  s  Crag,  123  ;  begged  by  Sir 
W.  Ashton  to  put  away  his 
enmity,  166,  179,  185;  contempt 
for  Craigengelt,  183  ;  warned  by 
Caleb, 192  ;  visits  Ravenswood, 198 ; 
accompanies  Lucy  to  Old  Alice's, 


205  ;  joins  Lucy  at  the  fountain, 
213 ;  his  betrothal,  215 ;  his  rela- 
t  i  o  n  s  with  Lucy,  223  ;  bidden 
leave  Ravenswood  Castle,  249 ; 
sees  the  apparition,  254 ;  finds 
Old  Alice  dead,  256 ;  overhears 
the  hags,  259 ;  interview  wnth 
Mortsheugh,    263  ;  counselled   by 

Marquis  of  A ,  269  ;  is  told  the 

truth  about  the  fire,  286;  enter- 
tained at  Girder's,  289  ;  letters  to 
the  Ashtons,  297  ;  Lucy's  reply, 
300;  interrupts  the  betrothal, 
329 ;  upbraids  Lucy,  335 ;  at  her 
funeral,  351 ;  dismisses  Caleb,  355 ; 
engulfed  in  the  Kelpie's  Flow,  356 

Ravensw^ood  Castle,  33,  43 ;  saloon 
at,  198 ;  terrace  before,  238 

Running  footmen,  239,  363 

Rutherford,  Lord,  8 

Stair  family,  connection  with  the 
novel,  7,  359 ;  satiric  verses  on, 
12 

Symson,  Andrew,  of  Kirkinner, 
verses  by,  14 

"  The  monk  must  rise,"  52 
"  Thou  sweetest  thing,"  224 
Tinto,  Dick,  his  history,  20 
Tod's  Den,  or  Hole,  76 
Trumpeter  Marine,  239,  363 
Turn  tippet.  Lord,  75  ;  compelled  to 
disgorge,  296 

Wallace  Inn,  Gandercleugh,  23 

' '  When  the  last  Laird  of  Ravens- 
wood," 193 

Wild  cattle,  61 

Winnie,  Annie,  at  Old  Alice's,  258 ; 
at  Lucy's  wedding,  341 ;  at  her 
funeral,  350 

Wolfs  Crag,  identification  of,  17 ; 
description  of,  90;  banqueting- 
hall,  94  ;  reported  burning  of,  278 

Wolfs  Hope,  143;  Caleb's  requisi- 
tions on,  144 


END  OF  THE  BRIDE  OF  LAMMERMOOR. 


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